


Going Bush 3: Caged

by torturingtaylor (itzaimster)



Series: Going Bush [3]
Category: Hanson
Genre: Bondage, Gen, Hostage Situation, Human Trafficking, Slave Trade, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-03
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-04 03:13:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 130
Words: 70,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/705865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itzaimster/pseuds/torturingtaylor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taylor and Zac come to realise that escaping the slave program was not as easy as previously thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 01

Isaac looked up to make sure that Taylor was in the same aisle before he spoke.  
“Do you remember which one of these Zac wanted?” he asked, holding up two different boxes.  
“He never told me,” Taylor ran his fingers along a shelf until he found what he wanted.  
“He gets this one then,” Isaac put the other box back before stepping over to add it to Taylor’s basket, “how are we going for time?”  
“Plenty of it,” Taylor assured, glancing upward as the door chime jingled.  
Isaac caught him staring.  
“What is it?” he asked, unable to see over the aisles as his taller brother could.  
Before Taylor could answer, there were some loud yells from the front of the small store.  
“Everybody stay down and no one gets hurt!”  
“Are you _kidding_ me?” Isaac hissed, ducking below the shelves and backing up toward Taylor.  
“It’s a hold up,” Taylor said under his breath, easily able to keep his eye on the assailant.  
It looked to be a young kid, possibly mid to late teens, armed with a handgun and a bandana secured over his face. A woman to the right of the counter screamed and dropped her groceries when the gun was aimed at her, as the cashier struggled to comply with the robber’s demands.  
“Let’s hope it’s a quick in and out,” Isaac said softly, glancing back before doing a double take.  
Taylor had disappeared.  
“Tay?!” he hissed, ducking down to the end of the aisle to try and find his brother.  
By the time he got to the next aisle, Taylor had made his way to the front of the store. Any attempt to subtly get his attention failed, and rather than risk his brother getting caught, Isaac decided to watch what he was going to do.  
Taylor stood at the end of the aisle, one eye around the corner. The kid was obviously nervous, and the gun was waving dangerously around the store. Taylor bided his time, waiting until the kid was facing the other direction before he acted.  
Lunging forward, he pulled the arm with the gun down, forcing it backward until the kid lost his grip on the weapon. The gun fired into the floor, coaxing another scream from the woman nearby. Taylor ignored the kid’s threats as he forced him down onto his knees, Isaac taking the moment to dart forward and kick the gun further away.  
“Has anyone called the cops?!” Taylor looked up almost casually as he kept the kid under his body weight.  
“Yeah!” came a man’s voice from two aisles over.  
He revealed himself as a middle-aged businessman, holding up his cell phone for emphasis.  
“Tay, what the hell?!” Isaac exclaimed, a hand on his head as he watched his brother easily contain the robber.  
Taylor just frowned back at him before looking up at the door as a security guard rushed inside.  
“I’ll take it from here,” he insisted.  
Taylor waited until he had a grip on the kid before he lifted his knee from his back. He was barely standing before Isaac grabbed him by the shoulder.  
“Let’s get out of here,” he insisted, pulling him toward the door.  
“Why?” Taylor looked confused, “it’s over.”  
“Right. It’s over. So let’s go!”  
Taylor grunted, realising they weren’t going to walk out with what they’d come for. Isaac half pulled him down the street to where their car was parked and waited until they were both in.


	2. 02

“What the hell was that?!” Isaac demanded.  
“What do you mean?” Taylor looked across at him, confused.  
Isaac spread his hands, exasperated.  
“Since when are you… I don’t know, Batman?!”  
Taylor frowned.  
“Ike, the kid had no idea what he was doing,” he pointed out, “it wasn’t hard.”  
“The ‘kid’ had a gun!” Isaac reiterated.  
“So? He probably didn’t even know how to use it,” Taylor shrugged.  
“Pretty sure there’s a bullet in the floor that says otherwise.”  
Taylor sighed and rolled his eyes.  
“So you’re saying you’d rather I’d let him rob the store, and possibly kill or injure a few people in the process,” he tried to clarify.  
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying… I’m saying the old Taylor would not have even contemplated doing something like that.”  
Taylor hesitated, his eyes lowering slightly.  
“The old Taylor?” he raised an eyebrow.  
“Yes,” Isaac’s voice softened, “the old Taylor. The one who was actually somewhat squeamish about guns and blood and-“  
He cut himself off when he saw the look on his brother’s face.  
“Tay I’m sorry. I know you just wanted to help,” he quickly relented.  
“I saw a chance and I took it,” Taylor turned to look out the window, “anyone else brave enough would have done the exact same thing. Anyone who knew what to look for.”  
Isaac watched him for a moment, before leaning forward to start the car.  
“Are you going to tell Nat?” he asked as he pulled out.  
“No,” Taylor admitted, “I’d rather not.”  
“It might make the news,” Isaac pointed out.  
Taylor groaned, rubbing his head.  
“I didn’t think of that.”  
“Of course you didn’t. You were too busy playing hero,” Isaac mused.  
Taylor gave him a glance as they pulled into another store just down the road.  
“Guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” he sighed.  
They both headed into the store to collect what they’d initially been sent for, before they headed back to the studio. Zac was waiting impatiently.  
“What took you guys so long?” he demanded, taking the bag Isaac held and leading the way back inside.  
“Believe me, you don’t want to know,” Isaac replied as Taylor closed the door behind them.  
“The store we went to got robbed,” he came out with.  
Zac paused, looking between them as if to check that they were serious. Isaac scratched his head.  
“Yeah. And Tay here took the guy out.”  
“Seriously?” a grin grew on Zac’s face.  
“Seriously,” Taylor offered a small smile, “it was just a kid. Barely knew how to handle a gun.”  
“He had a gun?”  
Isaac gave Taylor a knowing look as they made their way into the studio to continue their work.


	3. 03

Taylor leant out the window, calling a goodbye as his kids ran into the school. Distracted as Ezra turned back to ask him something, he didn’t notice the back door of the car opening. Once Ezra disappeared Taylor made to pull out of the parking space, only to slam the brakes on when he’d checked the mirror.  
“Hello,” the man said simply, eyes locking on Taylor’s through the rear-view mirror.  
Taylor didn’t dare take his eyes away long enough to even check the surrounding traffic.  
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he went on, as if expecting a response.  
Taylor couldn’t think straight enough to form any words. The man frowned a little, tilting his head to the side.  
“Have I upset you?” he asked somewhat innocently.  
“What do you want?” Taylor finally found his voice, shaky though it was.  
“I’d like to talk to you,” he replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “at another time in another place. Somewhere more intimate, perhaps.”  
Taylor gripped the steering wheel tighter as he leant forward.  
“I’ll be in contact,” the man assured, before opening the car door.  
“Why?” Taylor had to ask, eyes darting between the rear-view and side mirrors as the man stepped out of the vehicle and closed the door behind him.  
“You know I don’t like it when you ask too many questions,” he said simply before walking in the opposite direction.  
Taylor held his breath as he watched him disappear into the school crowd, letting it go only when he was sure he was out of sight.  
He ran his fingers through his hair and bit his nails nervously, wondering what the man could possibly want. It had been over a year since he’d seen him – he’d thought it was over.  
Finally pulling himself together, he pulled out of the car park and headed for Isaac’s house. They still had a couple of hours before needing to be at the studio, but right now he just needed his big brother.  
He pulled up just as Nikki was pulling out, offering her a wave as he took her place in the driveway. He locked the car up and headed for the front door, knocking solidly.  
“Did you forget someth- Tay?” Isaac cut himself off as he opened the door, “what are you doing here?”  
Taylor cast a glance over his shoulder before stepping inside.  
“He’s here,” was all he said.  
“Who’s here?” Isaac looked outside before closing the door behind his brother.  
Taylor fidgeted nervously before looking him in the eye.  
“The… um. The Texan. He’s here,” Taylor still had to force himself not to use the word ‘master’.  
“The Texan?” Isaac frowned, leading him into the living room, “are you sure?”  
“I’m more than sure,” Taylor took a seat and started wringing his hands, “he was at the school this morning. He spoke to me.”  
“He spoke to you,” Isaac repeated with a frown, “what did he say?”  
“That he wants to talk,” Taylor looked up at him, “but he wouldn’t say why.”  
Isaac paused, his hands on his hips.  
“I’m calling Rick. And Davison,” he announced, “…and Carlson.”  
“Ike-?” Taylor called after him, but he was already gone.


	4. 04

“Alright! Alright! I’m coming!” Isaac grumbled as he rushed to answer an incessant knock at the door.  
He opened it to find Zac leaning in the doorway, eyebrows raised.  
“How did I guess it would be you?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed.  
“What’s going on?” Zac frowned, following him inside and closing the door behind himself, “I get this mysterious call from Tay about cancelling the studio today, and then I do a drive-by here and there’s a patrol car in the driveway?”  
He paused as he got to the kitchen, sighting Davison and his latest offsider sitting at the table with Taylor.  
“What’s going on?” he repeated, his frown deepening.  
“Zac,” Davison stood in greeting, “you might want to take a seat.”  
Zac looked between them awkwardly, before taking the free chair by Taylor. Davison returned to his seat.  
“Would you like to tell him?” he offered Taylor.  
“Tell me what?” Zac suddenly looked worried, “did something happen to Nate? Or Trent? Did they do something?”  
“No, Devereux and McCall are secure,” the other officer assured.  
“Then what?” Zac was already getting frustrated.  
“The Texan is here,” Taylor stated blandly, deciding to stick with the nickname.  
“Texan? What Texan?” Zac frowned.  
“The one with the Cessna,” Isaac interjected, causing Zac to look up at him.  
Zac hesitated as the realisation crossed his face, before he looked to Taylor.  
“He’s in Tulsa?” he confirmed.  
“I saw him,” Taylor nodded, looking to Davison.  
“We can put a protective detail on you,” he offered, looking Taylor square in the eye, “I take it he didn’t hint as to when he would contact you again?”  
“No,” Taylor shook his head.  
“Wait, you _spoke_ to him?” Zac rubbed his chin incredulously.  
“He said he just wanted to talk,” Taylor looked between Zac and Davison, “but I’ve been there. He doesn’t just ‘talk’.”  
“We can station an officer in your home as well,” Davison offered as Taylor rubbed his face.  
“Please do,” he said softly, “after last time, with Nat…”  
“Nothing’s going to happen to her,” Isaac said forcefully, “we won’t let it.”  
“No one besides us even knows what the guy looks like,” Taylor pointed out, “no one saw him, he just disappeared into thin air.”  
“So?”  
“So that was the problem with Nate, you know it yourself first hand,” Taylor looked up at him, “he was able to fool you, and he was able to fool Nat. Without even being in his right mind. Who knows what this guy is capable of?”  
“Look, Nat’s got an advantage she didn’t have last time too,” Zac cut in, making Taylor turn to him.  
“What’s that?” he asked.  
“You, ‘Batman’,” Zac teased, “Nate took you out of the picture last time. This time you’re here to fight for her. Which alone means nothing is going to happen to her.”


	5. 05

It was easily another three days before Taylor dared leave the house. Keeping the kids at home had been a challenge, but well worth the effort in his mind. The officer stationed at their house was left to tend to Natalie and the children, while Davison sent another to meet Taylor at the studio. Three days off had been more than enough and they really needed to get some work done, so along with his brothers and their producers, the new officer would be joining them at 3CG.  
Taylor felt his nerves rise as he pulled up at the studio, seeing that the patrol car hadn’t arrived yet. But seeing that Zac was already here managed to quell his fears for now. He took his guitar case from the back seat and made his way inside, making sure to lock the door behind him on the way in.  
“Zac?!” he called out, heading straight for the practise room.  
No response. Figuring he might have already been in the recording studio, he set his guitar down and went to seek him out.  
“Zac?” he poked his head through the open door, seeing that the recording light wasn’t on.  
No Zac. Now more than a little apprehensive, Taylor pulled out his cell phone and dialled Zac’s number. He jumped when he heard it ringing not far away and quickly sought out the sound.  
He found Zac’s phone by the back door leading out into the courtyard, sitting on a small table in the hall with the bag he’d obviously brought in with him below it on the floor. Frowning as he ended the call, Taylor opened the back door and ducked his head outside.  
“ZAC?!” he called out, wondering what he’d be doing out there in the first place.  
When again there was no response, Taylor immediately dialled Isaac’s number.  
“Tay?” came an almost immediate answer.  
“Ike! I just got here and Zac’s car’s in the driveway but I can’t find him anywhere.”  
“Did you try calling him?”  
“Yes and yes. He left his phone by the back door.”  
There was a pause.  
“That’s… weird. How long have you been there?”  
“Maybe five minutes? I’ve been yelling, but-“  
“Tay get out of there,” Isaac insisted, “I’ll call Davison, just get out of there!”  
Taylor didn’t wait a moment longer, he ran back down the hall toward the practise room. Grabbing his keys from where he’d left them beside his guitar case he put his phone back in his pocket before running for the front door.  
As he pulled the door open he froze. He’d definitely locked this door on the way in. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly standing on end, he turned back. A much older man with an all-too-familiar blank expression stood in the hall, barely a few feet away.  
“Charlie?” Taylor frowned, his breath catching in his throat.  
“The Master would like to speak with you,” Charlie’s ill-used voice cut into Taylor’s ears.  
Taylor just shook his head in response as he turned and fled the building. He’d made it to his car before feeling a sharp pain in his right arm and a thick hand snake around his throat from the left.  
“Don’t fight it,” he heard the Texan’s voice say softly into his ear as he struggled not to choke.  
He dropped the keys as his hands flew to his throat, almost immediately feeling dizzy. He caught sight of the needle being pulled from his arm in the reflection of the car window and knew instinctively that it had been a sedative.  
“Please don’t do this,” he barely managed to choke out as his eyes slid closed.  
They didn’t open again.


	6. 06

“Good morning Isaac.”  
“Davison, hey,” Isaac turned a corner.  
He’d been on his way to the studio when he’d gotten Taylor’s call.  
“We might have a bit of a situation at the studio. Just got a call from Tay and apparently Zac’s pulled a Houdini.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I mean Tay got there about ten minutes ago and found all Zac’s stuff with no Zac,” Isaac clarified.  
“I see. Well I already have a patrol car en route, and I’ll hear from them if anything’s up.”  
“I told Tay to get out,” Isaac informed him as he pulled into the street the studio was on, “I’m just about to pull up there now.”  
“Isaac if you think something’s up, don’t get out of the car,” Davison insisted, “wait until Parker gets there. She should be there any second now.”  
“She should have been first,” Isaac grumbled, pulling into the driveway.  
He squinted as he registered Taylor’s car in the driveway. No sign of Zac’s.  
“Tay’s car’s here,” he informed Davison, “studio door’s wide open. No sign of anyone.”  
“Stay in the car,” Davison ordered, “Parker should be just around the corner.”  
Isaac pulled up behind Taylor and turned the car off. Why was his car still there when five minutes ago he should have left in it?  
“Fine,” Isaac rubbed his head, “but if she’s not-“  
He cut himself off as he saw the car pull in behind him.  
“She’s here,” he said, hanging up on Davison and getting out of the car.  
He waited as the car pulled up behind his and Parker got out.  
“Something wrong?” she called out as she opened the door to get out.  
“Something’s wrong,” Isaac nodded.  
He looked back at the studio before walking over to meet her.  
“I just got a call from Tay saying Zac’s stuff was here but Zac wasn’t. I told him to get out, then called Davison. That was maybe ten, fifteen minutes ago. That’s Tay’s car,” he pointed, “and Zac’s isn’t here. I only just pulled up so the door was left open.”  
The two of them began walking up the door, passing Taylor’s car on the way. Isaac stopped abruptly, a hand on the officer’s arm as he pointed to what he’d spotted.  
“Tay’s keys,” he said softly.  
Parker immediately rested her right hand on her handgun.  
“Stay here,” she instructed, making for the door on her own.  
Officially worried now, Isaac complied. As he watched her cautiously make her way inside the building he dialled Taylor’s number and waited. He wasn’t sure why, but he somehow knew it wasn’t going to go through.  
His head darted to the left. Glancing back at the building he made his way over and into the gardens to the side of the driveway, pushing aside a few small bushes before uncovering Taylor’s phone. It was half covered in dirt, having been thrown from about the driveway’s distance.  
Isaac groaned inwardly as he reached out to fetch it, ending the call. Looking back over his shoulder he saw Parker leaving the front door again.  
“I got Zac’s phone,” she held it up as she made her way over to him.  
“And I’ve got Taylor’s,” Isaac pulled a face.


	7. 07

The first thing Taylor felt was a headache. He groaned as he came to, his hands going to his head as he registered that he was laying on his stomach on something hard.  
As he managed to squeeze his eyes open he cringed at the bright spotlight reigning down on him. But when he managed to turn onto his side and see what was laying in front of him, he was suddenly a lot more awake.  
“Woah!” he exclaimed, jumping into a sit before pushing himself backward.  
He stopped only when he hit wire, closing his eyes and covering them with his hands.  
“Welcome back,” he heard the Texan accent possibly twenty feet away.  
Taylor took a moment to get himself together before pulling his hands from his eyes again.  
He appeared to be in a cage similar to those used by the more aggressive fighters of the boxing underground, however only about ten feet in diameter and lacking anything other than metallic joints. The spotlight he’d noticed earlier was set directly above the cage, and the only other objects in there with him were the black collar he’d opened his eyes to and a single bottle of water.  
If he squinted, he could barely make out the outline of the Texan sitting in a chair in the shadows just outside.  
“Don’t worry, you were only out for just over an hour.”  
“Where am I?” Taylor’s voice croaked as his body struggled to ward off the drugs in his system.  
He stiffened as he heard (rather than saw) the man get to his feet and slowly make his way toward the cage.  
“Was that a question?”  
Taylor gulped a little, as defiant as he intended to be.  
“Yes,” he replied, diverting eye contact.  
The man paused at the edge of cage, highly contrasted shadows playing across his face. As Taylor finally made eye contact with him, he stepped aside to the nearest wall where some sort of panel sat. As Taylor’s eyes followed the wiring to the ceiling and across to the cage, the man pulled aside the cover and flipped the only switch inside.  
Taylor jumped as he heard a sound like a fluorescent globe turning on, before crying out as he felt the sudden pain in his back. Unable to pull himself away, the seconds felt like hours before the switch was turned off again and Taylor fell forward onto his hands.  
“Creative, isn’t it?” the Texan accent taunted as Taylor crawled forward to get away from the wires.  
He struggled for a moment to rip his jacket from his shoulders as his body continued to shake, before pulling up the back of his shirt and laying back onto the cool concrete to try and soothe the burns. He coughed when his injured skin touched the flooring, but it instantly felt a little better.  
When he heard a similar warning sound, he knew the cage had been electrified once again.  
“I had hoped this would go a lot smoother, but I’d also not like to take chances,” the Texan’s footsteps could be heard returning to the cage.  
Taylor didn’t move, or even divert his eyes from the ceiling.  
“I am working on my own today, after all.”  
“You said you wanted to talk,” Taylor’s voice shook, “so talk already.”  
“Why, do you have somewhere to be?” there wasn’t even a hint of humour in his voice.  
Taylor closed his eyes with a grimace.  
“We will talk,” the Texan assured, “but I’d like you to be fully aware of the terms in which this takes place.”


	8. 08

Taylor shivered as the coldness of the concrete began to seep through him, and left his arms crossed over his chest to try and counter it.  
“I’d like to impart the former rules of our previous encounters to this session,” the Texan took up his seat again, though he moved the chair forward so he could be seen in the light.  
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Taylor whispered to himself.  
“Which include not speaking out of turn,” he went on pointedly.  
Taylor vaguely wondered how he planned to enforce such rules, when as long as stayed clear of the edges of the cage he should be fine.  
“However, as the circumstances are far from what one would consider a formal training session, I will allow questions within a designated time period, to be decided on later.”  
Taylor opened his eyes again, returning them to the ceiling. The spotlight was almost blinding but his pain threshold was concentrated elsewhere still.  
“Very soon I will take my leave. I understand it is best during integration to leave subjects to their own devices for a time. To send their feelers out, as it were.”  
Taylor swallowed as he remembered back to the base where he and Zac had been taken and left chained in the dark for days – even weeks – on end. To this day he wasn’t sure how long it had been before Zac had been rescued from what they considered the hole.  
“So before I do, I will tell you what I expect from you in the coming few days,” the Texan stood and again moved toward the cage.  
Taylor’s eyes darted to where he heard the footsteps, making out his silhouette before he stepped into the light.  
“If it weren’t already obvious,” he began in what appeared to be a sensitive tone, “I’d like you to trade rings once more.”  
Taylor’s brow furrowed as he darted a glance toward the collar before returning his stare to the man outside the cage.  
“No,” he breathed, barely able to form it above a whisper.  
“It will happen,” the Texan assured calmly, “rest assured it will. The time it takes is purely up to you. But you already know that I never take ‘no’ for an answer.”  
“No,” Taylor reiterated, firmer this time, “you’re not my Master anymore.”  
The man paused, a familiar disgruntled look appearing across his face. Taylor recognised the look as one that usually became a precursor to some form of torture-like punishment.  
“I see we have some adjustments to make,” he relented after a long moment of silence, making Taylor turn back to the ceiling and close his eyes again.  
“We’ll make a start first thing in the morning. For now, I need to get back to my own training duties.”  
Taylor winced a little, the fear that he’d continued in his former employment realised. He heard his footsteps walk away.  
“Get some sleep, 352. It’s going to be a long day.”  
Taylor’s eyes shot open at the use of his slave designation just in time for the lights to go out. Once a far door had opened and closed, the only noise he could hear was the steady hum of the electricity running through the wire cage that surrounded him.  
Taking a few deep breaths to work himself up, he grunted as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. Waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark took longer than expected, but he was soon able to barely make out the wire outline.


	9. 09

“The guy’s a ghost,” Davison shook his head as Isaac paced the room, “no one’s ever seen him, no one has a name…”  
“I’ve seen him,” Isaac turned back with a stare.  
“No one else has ever seen him,” Davison amended, “not to mention that the Dallas task force scoured that base for fingerprints and came up completely empty. Like I said, the guy’s a ghost.”  
“He can’t be,” Isaac scorned, “we had his plane! Did anyone bother tracking down the Cessna? Did they get any prints from that? Surveillance even?!”  
“The Cessna’s gone,” Davison’s offsider from the year before had joined them in the room earlier, “we tried to track it down after Zac spoke to the guy in Waco. They must have loaded that plane and just split.”  
Isaac groaned in frustration, rolling his eyes as he continued to pace.  
“Carlson’s on his way to Tulsa,” Davison informed him.  
“Already?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“Jumped in the car as soon as he heard,” Davison shrugged, “this guy seemed to be one of the big shots – if not the head – of the whole human trafficking fiasco, which his team was focused on. He needs to be in on it.”  
“I meant to call him myself. Guess it slipped my mind,” Isaac admitted, “I meant to call Rick too.”  
“I can call Rick,” Davison offered, standing up.  
“No I’d better do it. Especially before this hits the media,” Isaac couldn’t help but wince as he pulled out his cell phone.  
Davison gave him a sympathetic look before leaving the room.  
“Morning Isaac, how are you?” Rick answered the phone.  
“I hate to call with bad news,” Isaac scratched the back of his neck, “but we’ve got a situation.”  
“What kind of situation?” Rick asked after a pause.  
“The kind of situation that involves Zac and Tay not being found.”  
Rick hesitated, then cursed.  
“Where are you?”  
“I’m down at the station with Davison. Carlson’s on his way in from Dallas.”  
“Carlson?” Rick sounded confused, “why is Carlson… wait, what’s going on? I haven’t heard anything about either Nate or Trent breaking out or getting released on bail.”  
“Because it’s not them,” Isaac put his hand on his hip, “it’s the guy from the base in Waco. With the Cessna. I should have told you earlier, and I’m sorry, but he’s been in Tulsa at least a few days. We think he was stalking Tay.”  
“I’m on my way. What makes you think he was stalking him?”  
“Well he approached him at the kids’ school a few days ago and told him he wanted to talk to him,” Isaac shrugged, “and as of this morning they both failed to show up at 3CG. Well, they made it, but… that’s the last anyone’s seen or heard.”  
“And they definitely haven’t just taken off somewhere together?” Isaac could hear Rick’s car starting in the background.  
“I got a call from Tay I guess minutes before it happened.”  
“Dude. Okay. I’ll be there in ten. Hang tight, yeah?”  
“I’m not going anywhere,” Isaac assured as they both hung up.  
He looked across at the officer still in the room with him, before following Davison out.


	10. 10

“Where is he?” Rick demanded as he barged into the station.  
The clerk at the desk just pointed down the hall without even looking at him. Rick headed down toward the interrogation rooms the boys had been holed up in last time, finding Isaac in the second one down.  
“Ike, hey,” he walked straight in, reaching out to shake his hand, “so catch me up to speed.”  
“You’ve pretty much got it,” Isaac shrugged, “Tay called saying when he got to the studio that Zac was missing. I told him to get out. By the time Parker and I got there Tay’s keys were left in the driveway by his car, his phone was in the garden of all places, and Parker found Zac’s with his stuff inside.”  
“Parker?”  
“Davison’s new partner,” Isaac explained.  
“Right. What happened to Nelson?”  
“He’s around. He’s got his own partner now, but when he heard… he came back in.”  
Rick paused, leaning back against the wall near the door.  
“Where’s Zac’s car?” he asked suddenly.  
Isaac looked up at him like a deer in headlights.  
“Zac’s car?” he frowned.  
“Yeah,” Rick returned the look, “he got to the studio somehow, right? You said you found Tay’s car. So where’s Zac’s?”  
“Crap,” Isaac muttered under his breath, making for the door.  
He found Davison in an office two doors down.  
“Davison?” he got his attention, “Zac’s car. We need to find Zac’s car!”  
Davison paused, then immediately picked up a desk phone and dialled.  
“So much for getting the GPS in their phones,” Rick’s voice came over his shoulder as Isaac listened to Davison initiating the BOLO for Zac’s car.  
“They’re learning,” Isaac folded his arms as he waited.  
Davison soon hung up and picked up a pen to fiddle with as he looked up at them.  
“Hey Rick,” he nodded.  
“Davis,” he returned.  
“You do realise that as soon as I put an APB out on Zac and Taylor that the media will know about it,” he looked to Isaac.  
“I know,” Isaac confirmed.  
“Especially after last time,” Davison looked between them, “they’ll be on it like that.”  
He snapped his fingers.  
Isaac glanced back at Rick.  
“Do you want to wait for Carlson? I mean Dallas might want to keep this on the down low,” Rick suggested.  
“Who cares what Dallas wants?” Isaac scorned, “what gives us the better chance of finding them?”  
“Well the more people on the lookout, the better,” Davison reasoned.  
“And if the media does find out straight away, he has less of a chance of moving them without them being recognised,” Isaac pointed out.  
“If they even see daylight,” Rick gave him a knowing look, “you know where we found Zac.”  
“All the more reason,” Isaac said decidedly, “do it.”


	11. 11

It was barely an hour later when Isaac heard Rick calling him from the station foyer. Isaac jogged out to where Rick was turning up the volume on the television set on the wall.  
 _”…Just this morning. The brothers were last seen at their studio headquarters on North Street…”_  
“Here we go again,” Isaac said under his breath.  
“I hope you told Kate and Natalie,” Rick said between his teeth.  
“They were first to know. After Davison,” Isaac assured, turning to head back into the office.  
“Just as well,” Rick ran his fingers through his hair, opting to watch the report out.  
He could hear Isaac’s phone going crazy the moment the report ended, followed by Taylor’s from where they had it in the office.  
“Astley,” came a voice as the front doors opened.  
“Hey Nelson,” he greeted over his shoulder, “heard you were back in.”  
“I have a vested interest,” Nelson mused, coming to stand beside him.  
“Don’t we all,” Rick smirked, “heard you made Sergeant?”  
“Yeah… few months ago now.”  
“Congrats.”  
“Thanks.”  
“So what do you think?”  
Nelson sighed, eyes to the screen as the midday news report went on.  
“I think… or I hope, rather, that Carlson is going to have a game plan by the time he gets here,” he shook his head, “because I have a bad feeling about this one.”  
“When’s he due in?” Rick looked up at the taller man.  
Nelson checked his watch, then darted a look at the clock on the wall.  
“I’d say about two. How long are you planning on staying?”  
“As long as Ike needs me,” Rick shrugged, following his friend’s earlier footsteps down the hall.

*

It wasn’t long after 2pm that a black car pulled up at the station.  
“That’s Carlson,” Isaac was watching from a window.  
“No you don’t,” Rick grabbed him by the arm before he could take off for the front door, “you know the vultures are out.”  
Isaac sighed but relented. It wasn’t long before Nelson had escorted Carlson to Davison’s office.  
“Afternoon boys,” he nodded as he entered, his very presence causing a sudden lift of the atmosphere in the room, “I see the farm’s out front.”  
“We knew they’d show the moment we put out an APB,” Davison stood to shake the man’s hand, “welcome back to Tulsa.”  
“Wish we could say it were on better terms,” Carlson’s eyebrows rose as he also shook Isaac’s hand.  
“Thanks for coming,” Isaac offered a short smile.  
“Do we have anything else? Security camera footage? Anything?” Carlson’s tone immediately changed.  
“The cameras at the studio were disabled, there’s nothing on them,” Isaac informed him.  
“We’re working on traffic cams as we speak,” Davison was back on his computer, “just waiting on the last of the ODT warrants to come through and we’re in. Which with the media involvement… shouldn’t be too long now.”


	12. 12

“We’re thinking they might have taken Zac’s car,” Rick added.  
“Got a BOLO on that?” Carlson asked.  
“Done and done,” Davison nodded.  
Isaac grimaced as Taylor’s phone rang again.  
“I’ll get it,” Rick offered, going to fetch it from the nearby desk.  
“How long ago were the warrants sent in?” Carlson went on.  
“First thing,” Davison shrugged, “they really should have been back by now.”  
As he spoke, he got an email notification.  
“And they’re in,” he immediately stood, “Nelson! Parker!”  
Nelson ducked his head in, having just been walking past.  
“Take Parker down to the ODT and fetch all the footage you can,” he ordered, grabbing the papers as they barely finished printing and handing them over the desk to him.  
“Yes Sir.”  
“Check for Zac’s car, but I want you to trace anyone that even stopped by that driveway in the past twenty-four hours.”  
Isaac winced a little, knowing what their fans were like. He hoped they’d be able to at least distinguish them.  
“On it,” Nelson disappeared.  
“That was your Mom,” Rick returned to hand Isaac Taylor’s phone.  
“Mom? I already spoke to her this morning,” Isaac checked that she wasn’t still on the line.  
“I think she meant to call you and got Tay’s phone instead. Anyway I told her what was going on.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Have you done another identikit Isaac?” Carlson got his attention.  
“No, why?” Isaac frowned, “I don’t know what else I could offer, I haven’t seen the guy since that day in Tampico.”  
“So who did see him?” Carlson looked between them.  
“Just Taylor,” Rick shrugged as Isaac put the phones away, “you guys still have the kit he made last year, right?”  
“Washington has it,” Carlson confirmed, “I’ve alerted those agents and they’re sending someone in tonight.”  
“That was fast,” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“They don’t screw around. And they don’t like it when these large scale cases remained unsolved. This guy’s been a thorn in their collective side since Waco.”  
“So why did they only care once Tay was taken across the border?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed.  
“Because it took that long to confirm what kind of scale the operation was on,” Carlson explained.  
Davison’s desk phone rang and he picked it up immediately.  
“Before that they weren’t entirely convinced it wasn’t just a small-scale American plot.”  
“Even though half the guys they took in from the base decided they couldn’t speak English?” Rick smirked.  
“You’d be surprised the excuses they come up with,” Carlson shrugged.  
“That was the station down at Peoria,” Davison announced as he hung up the phone and stood, “confirmed sighting of Zac’s car. We need to get down there.”  
“What are we waiting for?” Isaac looked incredulous as he led the way out the door.


	13. 13

“What the-?” Isaac’s breath caught in his throat as he stepped out the back of the patrol car.  
“They said there’d been some damage,” Davison admitted, waving his hand in front of his face.  
Carlson led the way toward where the fire crew were lazily extinguishing the last of the flames that had consumed most of what had obviously been Zac’s car.  
“Sorry man, there’s not too much left,” Isaac heard the fireman speaking with him, “I don’t know if you’ll get anything from it.”  
Rick grabbed Isaac’s arm as he saw him suddenly tense.  
“Was there anyone inside?” Carlson’s voice had been low, but they’d still heard it.  
“All clear.”  
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief before Rick let him go. They stepped forward, getting only as close as they were allowed.  
“Forensics are on their way, but they’re not going to able to able to touch it for a while yet,” Davison walked up to Carlson.  
“Was the trunk open?” Carlson looked to the firemen.  
“No, we had to open it to get to the flames in the back seat.”  
Carlson pointed to the back, leaning in to Davison.  
“I see blood. Or what looks a lot like blood.”  
Isaac’s face lost colour and he darted forward.  
“Are you serious?” he demanded, trying to spot it himself.  
“It’s not a lot,” Davison assured, “but there’s enough to get an ID for sure.”  
“Enough to be a fatal blow?” Rick sidled up cautiously.  
“Hard to tell, but if it were fatal it wasn’t from loss of blood,” Davison shook his head, “no signs of splatter either, it’s just a drip.”  
“So someone was left bleeding in the trunk?” Isaac looked between Davison and Carlson as Carlson began a circle of the car.  
“Looks like.”  
Isaac ran his fingers through his hair and clenched his teeth.  
“Hey, at least neither of them are here,” Rick amended quickly, “maybe one of them just got a hard knock on the head, that’s all.”  
“Oh that’s supposed to make me feel better,” Isaac scorned.  
“No, but it’s better than saying that someone definitely died here.”  
Isaac just glared at him, causing him to stand back a little.  
“Just trying to help,” he raised his hands in surrender.  
“Is that camera operational?” Carlson’s voice came suddenly, pointing at a building across the road from the vacant block the car had been found in.  
“I can find out,” Davison offered, immediately taking his leave and jogging across to the business.  
Isaac watched him go before eyeing the CCTV camera they were talking about. It was pointed in the wrong direction, but with a small chance that it may have picked up the traffic on the main road.  
“I can’t believe this is happening again,” Isaac said softly as he stared up at it.  
“Déjà vu, huh?”  
Isaac smirked.  
“Something like that.”  
Rick gave him a pat on the back before going to see if he could help Carlson search nearby.


	14. 14

It was after dark by the time they could sit down and start watching some of the footage acquired from the Oklahoma Department of Transport. Already they were making further progress than they had the last time, but it didn’t leave them any less on edge.  
“Zac’s car,” Davison pointed it out at an intersection not far from the studio.  
“Can we zoom on the driver?” Carlson asked, unfamiliar with their equipment.  
Davison backed the footage up to the opportune moment and attempted to zoom in.  
“That’s the best I can get,” he said eventually.  
“That’s not him,” Isaac shook his head.  
“He fits the description,” Carlson frowned.  
“That’s not him,” Isaac insisted, “I’d know if it was. That is definitely not him. That guy’s shorter.”  
“Are you sure?” Davison looked up at him.  
“I know him, and I know Zac’s car,” Isaac started getting riled up, “that’s not the guy!”  
Davison caught a screen capture before letting the video play through.  
“Anyone else watching that black Mercedes?” Rick asked suddenly.  
“What Mercedes?” Isaac asked.  
“I am,” Carlson confirmed before pointing to the screen, “this one here. It’s been tailing Zac’s car from about a block away from the studio.”  
“Can you zoom in on that driver?” Isaac was trying not to get his hopes up and failing.  
“I can try at the next intersection,” Davison offered, speeding the footage up a little.  
Once he’d done so, Isaac hit Rick on the shoulder.  
“That’s it. That’s him!” he exclaimed.  
“Finally,” Rick couldn’t stop the grin as they all stared at the screen.  
“Get a copy of that sent out with the APBs,” Carlson ordered as Davison started printing.  
“That’s the plan.”  
“And send out the one of the driver in Zac’s car too. We need to find out who this guy is.”  
“Why can’t we see anyone else in the cars?” Isaac had his hands on his head, “we’re assuming they have both of them at this point, right?”  
“Right,” Rick turned his head slightly, “but we know at least one of them was in Zac’s trunk.”  
“We can’t see into the back seats either,” Davison offered before leaving the room with the photos.  
They heard him yelling in the hall as Isaac ducked around closer to the computer.  
“Keep going,” he insisted as Carlson took over.  
They continued watching the two cars, seeing that once they’d gotten onto the main highway they’d headed south toward Peoria.   
“I’ll go ahead and say they’re probably dumping the car,” Rick folded his arms across his chest.  
As they skipped ahead they saw that he was right. The footage from the CCTV camera across the road witnessed the explosion of light when the fire bomb hit, then barely a shadow as the Mercedes drove away.  
“We need to follow the Mercedes,” Isaac said blandly, eyes not leaving the screen.  
“We could have an issue here,” Carlson paused the footage and turned to him.  
“What?” Isaac asked.  
“Surely you’ve noticed that the plates aren’t showing up on the footage,” Carlson pointed out, “the make and model are not exactly conspicuous. We’re going to have a hard time keeping track of the right car throughout the city.”


	15. 15

Taylor was jolted awake as the spotlight came on. He had no idea how long he’d been out, but it had been enough to at least regain some strength.  
He sat up as he rubbed his eyes, clearly hearing the Texan’s footsteps making their way toward him.  
“Catching up on sleep, were we?” he asked rhetorically before taking up his usual seat.  
Taylor just stared across at him silently.  
“Very well,” the man cleared his throat, “I’d like for you to repeat to me what you said earlier.”  
“Why?” Taylor’s eyes narrowed further.  
“That was a question, not a statement.”  
Taylor stopped himself from rolling his eyes as he diverted them to where the water bottle sat.  
“I said you’re not my Master anymore,” he relented, before rubbing his face tiredly.  
“I’d like to know what has brought you to this way of thinking.”  
Taylor finally did roll his eyes.  
“What could possibly make you believe that you could just walk away unscathed?”  
“I don’t. And I didn’t,” Taylor refused to look at him, hugging his legs loosely with his arms, “but I have no Master.”  
There was an uncomfortable pause.  
“I see,” the man finally spoke.  
Taylor frowned at that, wondering what exactly it was that he saw.  
He instinctively shifted back a little as he heard the man stand and walk closer to the cage.  
“I know that you call her.”  
Taylor’s head darted up.  
“How?” he demanded, “no one knows that!”  
“At least once a week,” he went on, careful not to get too close to the wires as he stepped to the side a little, “for over a year so far you haven’t missed a single one. I wonder… why is that?”  
Taylor watched like a hawk as he circled the cage, before picking himself up from the floor and standing in the centre. The cage sat on a raised platform possibly three feet from the ground, so simply standing added a lot of height difference between them.  
“That’s none of your business,” Taylor looked down on him.  
“On the contrary, it’s exactly my business,” the man continued his slow circle, “it appears I underestimated your assimilation into the lifestyle.”  
“She set me free,” Taylor turned slightly, making sure he was facing him the entire time he moved.  
“And yet it doesn’t feel right, does it?” the man’s voice softened, “it goes against your nature.”  
“It’s human nature to want to be free,” Taylor barely breathed.  
“It is human nature to need to be led,” the man corrected, pausing at the side nearest to the electrical switch.  
“As a child must follow their teacher. As a worker must follow his employer. As a citizen must follow its government… It’s in all of us. We all need someone to guide us. To make us feel worthy of existence. To make us feel… useful.”  
Taylor clenched a fist, purely in an effort to stop his hand shaking.  
“You’re wrong,” he shook his head.  
“I’m not,” the man responded in kind, “but I’ll let you think on that a while.”  
He paused to stare at Taylor a moment longer, before making to leave the large room. As he closed the door behind him, Taylor finally fell to his knees under the blinding spotlight.


	16. 16

What must have been close to an hour later, Taylor looked up as the door opened again. Determined to not be on his knees while the Texan was around, he quickly stood again.  
He squinted a little and shielded his eyes from the spotlight as he registered a different person walking in.  
“Charlie?” he gulped a little, watching the man cautiously approach, “what are you doing here?”  
Charlie waited until he was close enough to be seen in the light, and Taylor was able to lower his hand.  
“I was asked to speak with you,” Charlie said simply.  
Taylor looked up toward the door to make sure he hadn’t been followed.  
“Why?” he asked.  
“I am told you are confused,” Charlie only moved to breathe, Taylor now remembering how uncomfortable the man made him, “I am here to answer your questions.”  
Taylor’s eyebrows rose and he stepped forward a little.  
“What does he want with me?” his eyes searched Charlie’s, resisting the urge to touch the wire cage, “why am I here? Why after all this time does he want me back?!”  
He stopped himself as Charlie raised a hand to indicate that he was going too fast.  
“I believe the answer you’re looking for,” Charlie began carefully, “is unfinished business.”  
An incredulous look crossed Taylor’s face.  
“There was nothing unfinished,” he insisted, “he trained me. He sold me. The deal was done. My Mistress let me go. It’s nothing to do with him anymore!”  
Charlie took a step back, waiting for Taylor to calm down a little.  
“I have not been told everything,” he said straight as he looked up at Taylor again, “but the confusion surrounds a clause in your contract.”  
Taylor frowned.  
“My contract?” he could feel the lump growing in his throat.  
“The Master’s employer holds very strict principles in regards to all penned contracts.”  
Taylor ran his fingers through his hair, leaving his hands on his head as he turned away.  
“It seems that your obligations have not been entirely fulfilled.”  
“I can’t go back, Charlie,” Taylor turned back with moisture in his eyes, “I can’t do it. Please, you have to talk to him!”  
Charlie turned away and Taylor fell down onto his hands and knees so that he was just about eye level with him.  
“Please, Charlie! I have a family! I have a baby girl that needs me. I can’t leave them, not again!”  
“I am sorry,” Charlie took a step back, evidently uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken, “I can do nothing.”  
Taylor hung his head, before sitting back onto his legs and rubbing his eyes.  
“I know you can’t,” his voice shook, “but I can’t do what he wants. Not this time.”  
“You do realise that you risk being eliminated,” Charlie was watching him again.  
Taylor’s head shot up.  
“What?” he stammered.  
“If you fail to fulfil your contract, it is the standard procedure.”  
Taylor felt the tears welling up again and struggled to hold them back.  
“I need to get out of here,” he cried softly, looking to the ceiling.


	17. 17

Isaac jumped suddenly as a beep from the computer woke him up.  
“Ike? Maybe you should head home,” Davison offered, giving him a pat on the back as he walked past.  
“But we haven’t finished going through the footage yet,” Isaac was at the point of having trouble with enunciation.  
“And you’re not going to finish, you’ve fallen asleep three times,” Carlson said sternly.  
“I’m not giving up.”  
“Of course you’re not,” Davison took up a seat across the desk from where he’d been leaning, “we can start again first thing in the morning. You’re no good to us as a zombie.”  
Isaac stared at him for a moment, half deciphering what he’d just said.  
“Okay,” he finally relented, “I’ll get Rick to pick me up on the way through. Or something.”  
He stood up and went to grab his phone, pausing when he realised it was sitting next to Taylor’s still.  
“Get some sleep Isaac,” Carlson ordered, not bothering to look over his shoulder.  
“Are you okay to drive home?” Davison asked once he’d snapped out of it.  
“Sure, it isn’t far,” Isaac insisted, pocketing his phone, “see you guys in the morning.”  
“Goodnight Isaac,” Carlson offered a smile before getting back to his revision.  
Davison gave him a salute as he left the room.  
“You should probably head home too, if you want to get an early start,” Carlson suggested, glancing at the clock.  
It was already close to midnight.  
“I might take you up on that,” Davison sighed, scratching his head, “there’s a bed out back for when you need to crash.”  
“I remember, thank you,” Carlson nodded, “goodnight Davison.”  
“Goodnight Carlson.”

*

Taylor lay on his back as he listened to the door close behind Charlie. The light had been left on again, but he didn’t mind keeping his eyes closed. He got fair warning if anyone entered the room.  
Taking a deep breath, he concentrated. He was too awake and too upset to try and sleep again, so he needed to shift his focus. He focused his hearing.  
Above the ever present hum of the electricity surrounding him, he began to hear smaller sounds. Not even so much smaller, as further away. For instance he thought he heard the deep growl of an engine passing nearby, but he couldn’t pick what sort of vehicle it belonged to.  
Frowning as he concentrated, he heard the same sound again a few minutes later. Again a few minutes after that. Almost as if the hum were on a schedule.   
Opening his eyes again, he turned his head to find the bottle of water. He hadn’t had any yet, unsure of how much he’d be supplied with. He’d earlier inspected the join of the cage where he’d obviously been brought in, but there were three large padlocks securing the latches holding the gate together at the top, centre and bottom. Near the concrete base there seemed to be a sort of tray which Taylor assumed was going to be used to pass things in and out, but a bottle certainly wouldn’t fit in.  
He took barely a mouthful, just enough to keep his throat from drying out. As he replaced it by the collar, he couldn’t help but stare at it.  
And he couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same exact collar he’d worn last time.  
Taking another deep breath, he covered his wedding ring with his right hand and turned away.


	18. 18

Footsteps echoed down the hall and made Carlson look up from where he still sat at the computer. It was nearing 3am and he knew the agents from Washington were due in.  
He stood from his seat as his suspicions were confirmed, two suited men entering Davison’s office with the night clerk as their escort.  
“Lieutenant Carlson?” the first extended his hand.  
“Guilty as charged,” Carlson shook it, “who do we have?”  
“Agent Logan Henderson at your service. This is Agent Jannali.”  
“Pleasure,” the second agent nodded.  
“Pleasure’s mine. So what do you think you boys can do for us?”  
“What footage is that?” Henderson nodded to the screen, ignoring the question.  
“We’ve been following a black Mercedes,” Carlson sighed tiredly as he sat back down at the desk.  
Jannali removed his jacket as Henderson stepped around the desk to see the screen.  
“We tracked it following Zac’s car-“  
“Zac?”  
“-Yeah, Hanson. One of the brothers taken. His car was found burnt out in Peoria yesterday afternoon. This Merc followed the whole way down, and now it’s headed back north.”  
“Why has it taken so long to trace?” Jannali asked, coming to stand behind Henderson’s shoulder.  
“The plates,” Carlson pointed to the screen, “they have some kind of gloss over them to make them indistinguishable on camera.”  
Henderson gave Jannali a knowing look.  
“Are these the drivers?” Jannali asked, reaching over to pick up the photos Davison had printed.  
“They are,” Carlson confirmed as he passed them to Henderson.  
“Would you mind emailing these to our data analyst in DC? We’ll have her run them through facial recognition,” Henderson frowned as he pulled out his cell phone.  
“Sure.”  
He found the email address and handed the phone to Carlson, who did as he asked before getting back to the footage.  
“He’s spending a long time on the I-44,” Jannali said after a moment’s silence.  
“If I skip ahead I tend to lose him,” Carlson admitted, carefully writing down the times and locations of each camera sighting as he went.  
“How long have you been at it?” Henderson put his hands on his hips as he watched.  
“I got in… about twelve hours ago. Aside from a side trip to Peoria, this is what I’ve been doing.”  
“Ouch,” Jannali smirked.  
“It’ll be worth it,” Carlson assured, “this is how we found the Hanson boys last time.”  
“He just turned off,” Henderson’s eyes didn’t leave the screen.  
Carlson’s eyes narrowed as he watched, before he sat back slightly.  
“He’s heading for the airport,” he realised.  
“Which one?” Henderson didn’t move as Jannali pulled out his phone.  
“Tulsa International, I believe,” Carlson glanced up.  
“Alert Tulsa International security and send a copy of the APBs out,” Jannali was already saying into the phone.  
“We know he owns a Cessna,” Carlson told Henderson, “but there’s no way he’d make it out of Tulsa International unnoticed. Surely.”


	19. 19

Isaac quickly apologised to Nikki as he rolled over in bed and answered his ringing phone.  
“Isaac,” he barely managed to get out as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  
“Isaac, it’s Carlson,” his voice came through, “we have a few leads.”  
“Already?” Isaac glanced across at the clock.  
It was nearing 7am.  
“I don’t know about that, considering I’ve been here all night. Listen… I’m about to go down and catch up on some sleep, but I’ll let the Feds fill you in when you get here.”  
“Where’s Davison?”  
“On his way. Called him first.”  
“Okay. But did you actually find them?”  
“We haven’t found them, per se,” Carlson elaborated, “but we think we have a pretty good idea of where they are. And the Feds got an ID on the Texan.”  
“What? Are you serious?!” Isaac immediately sat up.  
“Serious. Will explain all when you get here. See you soon.”  
“Thanks Carlson. See you soon.”  
Isaac hung up and immediately dialled for Rick as he got out of bed and rushed to get ready.  
“Ike?”  
“Yeah, hey,” Isaac brushed over, “just got a call from Carlson. They’ve ID’d the Texan and they think they know where he is.”  
“Awesome! Let me get ready and I’ll swing by and pick you up.”  
“No need, I’m on my way out the door now,” Isaac assured, “I’ll pick you up instead.”  
“Great! See you then.”  
Isaac hung up, said a quick goodbye to his wife, and then headed out.

*

“So this could all be over with pretty quick then,” Rick rubbed his hands together in the passenger seat.  
“I know, it all seems too easy doesn’t it?” Isaac mused as they neared the station.  
He pulled to the side a little to let a fire engine pass.  
“If they have an ID on the guy…”  
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Isaac insisted, “they knew who they were looking for when it came to Nate and it still took eight years to track him down. And only after we got involved.”  
“True, that’s true…” Rick trailed off with a frown.  
“What?” Isaac glanced across at him, seeing that something was up.  
Rick hesitated as he worked it out.  
“Station’s just over there, right?” he pointed.  
“Yeah, why?” Isaac frowned, confused.  
Rick gave him a worried look.  
“It’s probably nothing,” he shook his head and sat back.  
“Rick, what?” Isaac insisted.  
“That’s where the fire truck’s headed,” he relented.  
Isaac immediately looked up, eyeing the plume of smoke up ahead.  
“No way,” he shook his head, speeding up a little.  
“Guess we’ll soon find out,” Rick rubbed his chin worriedly.


	20. 20

“What happened?!” Isaac called out as he closed the car door behind him.  
“I don’t know!” Davison called back, “I was just pulling in when it happened.”  
Davison was directing firemen around the site. There were maybe five policemen standing around, and the rest were either firemen or civilians.  
“It had to be a bomb,” Rick appeared at Isaac’s side, noting how most of the right side of the building was missing.  
Isaac felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise, and turned to look over his shoulder instinctively.  
“You think?” he scorned as he did.  
“Looks centred around Davison’s office, too.”  
Isaac turned back when he heard that and began to make his way down the side of the building – careful to stay far enough away that he wouldn’t be told to stay back.  
“Carlson _just_ called me, before I called you,” he shook his head, “he was here. He was about to leave to catch up on sleep.”  
“Then maybe he made it out?”  
Isaac pulled out his phone and dialled Carlson’s number.  
“Isaac?”  
They looked up as Davison beckoned them over. Isaac grimaced as the number told him it was disconnected before putting his phone away.  
“Carlson was in there,” Davison confirmed as the trio huddled.  
“Are you sure?” Rick’s brow furrowed.  
“He told me he was going to get some sleep. That was right after he called me, after he called you,” Isaac insisted.  
“I know,” Davison nodded, “but I told him there was a bed out back. Here.”  
Rick cursed as Isaac turned back to the wreckage.  
“The Feds were in there too,” Davison went on, “along with Nelson. He got here just before I did.”  
“Damn,” Rick winced.  
“Is this what I think it is?” Isaac looked Davison in the eye, “is this the Texan telling us to back away? Carlson told me they’d identified him.”  
“Tentatively,” Davison nodded, “but everything was in there. The only copies of the footage, along with Carlson’s notes…”  
“You’re kidding,” Rick frowned as Isaac rubbed his face.  
“About the only thing we have left is Zac’s car,” Davison shrugged, “and the parts that were sent away for analysis, like the DNA swabs.”  
“The Feds. They came from DC, right?” Isaac turned back.  
“Right.”  
“And they worked the case last year?”  
“Right. They sent the same guys in.”  
“This sounds awfully like a clean-up,” Isaac looked to Rick.  
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Rick insisted, “Davis who else was in there?”  
“Mandy, the clerk,” he shrugged, “a couple of officers you didn’t really meet, just getting to work for the morning. Like Nelson. That’s pretty much it.”  
“Can we get in touch with Washington?” Isaac asked.  
“I plan to as soon as we get some answers from the fire crew,” Davison assured.


	21. 21

Taylor was sure it had been hours that passed since Charlie had left the room. He remembered the Texan saying something about leaving him alone for a while, so when he yawned for the third time he grabbed his jacket from where it had been discarded and formed it into a makeshift pillow to settle down on.  
He closed his eyes, once again concentrating on the soft hums in the distance, before feeling himself start to drift off to sleep. He got so close that when he heard the door open at the other end he wasn’t entirely sure that he hadn’t imagined it.  
“Taylor?”  
His eyes flew open, and not only at the use of his name. When he saw the figure walking towards him, he rushed to pull himself to his hands and knees.  
“What are you doing here?” he asked straight away, confusion and worry covering his face.  
“Hush,” the woman said softly as she made it into the light, “they asked me to come. Are you alright?”  
“No, I’m not alright!” Taylor replied incredulously, “I’m in a _cage_!”  
“Taylor calm down-“  
His eyes flew up as he heard the door close suddenly, seeing the Texan standing by it. He could feel the goose bumps suddenly creeping up his arms as he slowly got to his feet.  
“Why does he want you here?” he asked nervously, eyes not leaving the Texan.  
“I’m here to negotiate your release,” she informed him, turning her back to the cage as the Texan walked over to join them.  
“But he’s not going to-“  
“Let me deal with it,” she raised her hand to silence him.  
“I’m afraid he’s correct,” the Texan drawled as he stepped closer, “I don’t plan to release him. At all.”  
“This was a private settlement between myself and Taylor,” his former Mistress used an authoritative tone as Taylor watched on silently.  
“Unfortunately it appears you haven’t read the fine print of your sale contract,” the Texan revealed some paperwork from the inside pocket of his jacket, “perhaps you’d like to try again?”  
The woman frowned, but stepped forward to take the papers. As she stepped over to the edge of the cage to use the spotlight to read, the Texan turned the electrical switch off so she wouldn’t accidentally electrocute herself.  
Making sure he stepped out of reach of it, Taylor finally slid his fingers through the wire and turned himself so that he could read it with her.  
“I’d like to draw your attention to the section under four-zero-six. Wherein it states what to expect upon relinquishment of all responsibilities entitled.”  
Taylor glanced up at him and leant in further as he tried to find it.  
“In the event of the slave master’s inability to continue with the program, either through death, permanent injury, or unforseen hardship…” the woman read aloud, “ownership reverts to the next of kin. If a next of kin is unsuitable for the responsibility, ownership reverts back to the Claim Company.”  
She looked up at the Texan as Taylor tilted his head further to keep reading.  
“I don’t see how this is relevant,” she stated, “our arrangement was mutually voluntary.”  
Taylor nearly jumped out of his skin when a gunshot rang out.


	22. 22

“NO!” Taylor practically screamed, falling down onto his knees against the wire as his former Mistress collapsed.  
He saw her still breathing, clutching at the place in her chest where the bullet had pierced.  
“Please!” Taylor looked up at the Texan, “please, help her! Don’t let her die!”  
The Texan took two steps closer, raised his gun and put another bullet into her head.  
“NO!” Taylor cried again, wishing he had the strength to rip the wire apart.  
“I’d suggest backing up a little,” the Texan suggested.  
Taylor looked up in time to see him walking back to the electrical switch. He flinched backward, letting the wires go, barely a moment before the electricity coursed through them once more.  
“Why?!” he cried, not moving from where he’d fallen backwards, “why would you do that?!”  
The Texan calmly made his way over to the body, collecting the contract from where it had fallen to the floor. Taylor’s eyes widened in realisation as he looked it over, stepping aside to place his gun on the chair.  
“In case of death ownership reverts back…” his eyes darted across the concrete before looking up to the Texan incredulously, “you killed her to get me back in the program?”  
“In theory, but in practise? No,” he responded calmly, “you won’t need to be entered back into the program. You just need a little discipline.”  
Taylor looked up as the door opened again, Charlie appearing this time.  
“Good, you’re here. Clean this up,” the Texan demanded.  
“Is this a regular thing for you?” Taylor looked up at him again, “murdering your clientele?”  
“It is when they breach the rules,” he folded the contract and replaced it in his jacket, “Ms Ramirez never should have let you go. I asked her to keep you hidden. She disobeyed.”  
“She didn’t have a choice!” Taylor scorned, “it was Nate! Nate took me away from her! And not willingly, might I add.”  
“Don’t you worry about Nathaniel.”  
His tone made Taylor flinch. They both watched as Charlie lay out some plastic he’d brought in with him, setting the woman’s body onto it before struggling to drag her out.  
Taylor eyed where a small spot of her blood had seeped into the concrete base of the cage after the first shot and cringed.  
“Why not?” he asked finally, “what are you going to do about Nate?”  
“I think you’ve had enough questions answered for today,” the Texan said decidedly, stepping over to retrieve his gun again.  
“But I still don’t know what you _want_ from me!” Taylor exclaimed, “what exactly am I supposed to do for you?!”  
The Texan stared back at him in silence for a moment as Charlie finally disappeared from view.  
“I have no doubts you will figure it out,” he said after a moment of silence.  
Taylor rolled his eyes and lay down onto his back as he felt the tears threatening to form again. As he heard the Texan’s footsteps walking away, he covered his eyes with his hands as he felt them fall.  
It was maybe ten minutes later that he heard Charlie re-enter. When he glanced up and saw that he’d brought a mop with him, he decided to ignore him and close his eyes again.  
Charlie took his time cleaning up the blood, unable to get the larger stains out. When he was done, he paused as he looked in on Taylor.  
“I am sorry for your loss,” he said softly so that Taylor could barely hear, before he turned to leave.


	23. 23

“Where are we gonna go?” Rick asked as Davison returned to the small group.  
“There’s a station nearby who’ve offered a couple of rooms where we can get some work done,” he replied, still holding his phone.  
“What work?” Isaac shook his head, “everything’s gone!”  
“Not everything,” Davison assured, “and I need access to a computer so that I can relay with DC.”  
“What did they say?” Rick asked.  
“They’re going to send out a replacement agent,” Davison glanced back at the building as if to check the progress, “but aside from this one guy, there’s no one else there that worked this case. The rest are in New York.”  
“I remember those guys,” Isaac nodded, “they helped raid the house in Tampico.”  
“Right,” Davison nodded, “they’re planning to send them in, but they’re keeping the info on a need to know basis.”  
Isaac’s eyes narrowed as Rick rubbed his chin uncomfortably.  
“They think there’s a mole?” Isaac’s raised an eyebrow.  
“They’re not ruling out anything at this stage,” Davison shook his head, “but if this is what we think it is – and I personally do not see it being a random attack – then someone knew when the right people would be in the right place.”  
“This is insane,” Rick shook his head, “did Washington say anything about the Texan’s identity?”  
“They wouldn’t over the phone,” Davison lowered his voice, “but the agent they’re sending over is bringing hard copies of everything they’ve got on him. It sounds like a lot.”  
“Maybe we’ll finally get some answers,” Isaac looked to Rick who just shrugged.  
“If the station blowing up didn’t tell us not to get our hopes up, I don’t know what will,” he said.  
Isaac smirked as Davison rolled his eyes.  
“Well I’m going to be a while longer here. Once they have the heat down I’m going to sift through and see if I can’t find anything that might have survived,” Davison pulled a face, showing exactly how much he believed he’d find, “after that you’re welcome to follow me down to the other station. Unless you boys want to head on home and I’ll call you when we move?”  
“When’s the Washington guy getting in?” Isaac asked.  
“Not until tonight. I’m expecting to hear from New York by then.”  
Isaac looked to Rick.  
“It’s up to you, man,” Rick shrugged, “Carlson didn’t say anything on the phone that hinted toward where they thought they were going?”  
“Nothing, or I would have said we’d meet them there,” Isaac pointed out.  
“Touché.”  
“What are you going to do?” Davison stared him down.  
“I don’t know,” Isaac looked worried, “I’ve never really not had a trail to follow. I’m stuck.”  
“Maybe we should go home and get some rest, none of us got much sleep last night,” Rick pointed out.  
“That is a good point. You should get some rest,” Davison pointed out, “you never know with a case like this when you’re going to need your wits about you.”  
Isaac looked to Rick again, and sighed.  
“Okay, fine,” he relented, “but call us straight away if anything comes up.”  
“Wouldn’t dare not to,” Davison assured, waving them a goodbye as they headed to Isaac’s car.


	24. 24

Taylor wasn’t sure how much time had passed. There was no way to tell if it were daylight outside or not, and he’d managed to fall asleep again once Charlie had finished up.  
As he struggled to open his eyes against the light, he rolled over onto his side and reached out for the water bottle. His stomach was starting to give him trouble because he hadn’t eaten in over twenty four hours, but he knew he had to at least keep hydrated. He didn’t need a repeat of what had happened with Nate.  
Setting the bottle aside, he jumped as his hand hit the collar. It was never far away, as it took practically the whole cage for him to lay down.  
Looking up to make sure that he was alone in the room, he reached over further and picked it up for the first time.  
Sitting up and crossing his legs, he stared down at it as his fingertips played over the stainless steel rings. The leather felt slightly brittle, and as his pointer finger traced one of the edges he felt a slight dip toward the edge of the clasp.  
His breath caught in his throat as he realised that this was the exact collar he’d been wearing in the hole. The first one he’d ever worn.  
As he inspected it closer he could make out the scratch marks near the clasp where he’d on more than one occasion been desperate to try and get it off. Even as he studied it he couldn’t really see how the whole thing came together. There appeared to be a metallic clip inserted into the middle layer of the leather with a hook on the opposite side, but he couldn’t see anywhere for the key to sit to unlock it. Yet he’d felt it done at least twice.  
Realising that his hands had started shaking, he quickly threw it aside and put his hand over his wedding ring again. There was a slight ridge in the bone of the finger where the Texan had broken it, and it hadn’t quite been set right to heal. Only one of the many physical reminders of the year before.  
His stomach growling pulled his hand away as he wrapped his arms around his waist, once again double checking around that there definitely hadn’t been any food left for him. As his eyes caught the collar again he absently rubbed his neck, as if to make sure that it was definitely still bare.  
He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the door opening again. Suddenly wishing he’d been wearing a watch when he was taken, he wondered if it were first thing in the morning or the end of the day.  
Charlie entered, closing the door softly behind him before making his way over. Taylor didn’t say anything, knowing he’d soon make it known why he was there.  
“I know why you are here,” his voice cut through the steady hum in the air.  
Taylor gulped slightly, wondering if he were even allowed to tell him.  
“Why am I here?” he asked, not taking his eyes away.  
“Because I am old,” a hint of a smile played on the elder man’s lips, which somehow unnerved Taylor even more than his usual expression, “and because the Master was pleased with you.”  
Taylor frowned, his eyes lowering as he thought.  
“So you’re saying…” he tilted his head, “he wants me to replace you?”  
When Charlie didn’t respond, Taylor looked up at him again.  
“Why me?” he asked, eyes searching Charlie’s, “why does he want me? Out of everyone?”  
“You were a fast learner,” Charlie seemed to consider calmly, “you already know his ways. You needed to be retrieved… you were a suitable acquisition.”


	25. 25

Taylor took a moment to let it sink in.  
“He wants me to be his,” he couldn’t stop his voice breaking.  
“It would be an honour,” Charlie offered.  
Taylor turned his head away, taking a moment to gather himself.  
When he turned back his eyes were wet.  
“I don’t think I can do it,” he admitted.  
“Of course you can,” Charlie seemed a little confused, “have I upset you?”  
Taylor shook his head, looking toward the door. Again to make sure he hadn’t been followed.  
“He scares me,” he said softly, putting his head in his hand.  
“He scares everybody. It is his way,” Charlie stared like a statue, “it is why they chose him.”  
“Who are they?” Taylor decided to take advantage of how open the man seemed to be, “who employs him?”  
Charlie took a step back so that he wasn’t in the light anymore.  
“He never speaks of them. It is none of my business.”  
“You don’t know?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose, “didn’t they… I mean, didn’t you start like me?”  
Charlie shook his head, making Taylor’s brow furrow with concern.  
“Then how…?”  
“I may not speak of it,” Charlie insisted, though his tone remained placid.  
Taylor bit his lip as he tried to work out a way around Charlie’s restrictions. He couldn’t fathom how the man had gone through so many years under such repression.  
“You said they chose him,” he began carefully, hugging his knees, “why was he chosen?”  
“Because he is good at what he does,” Charlie responded, giving the door an idle glance.  
Taylor saw it and knew he was uncomfortable being there.  
“He’s still doing it, isn’t he?” Taylor went on, “when we escaped, it didn’t stop. They just started up again somewhere else?”  
“You believe you ‘escaped’?” Charlie turned back to him curiously.  
The question caught Taylor off guard and he couldn’t respond.  
“There was never any escape,” he continued calmly, “they never lost sight of you. Once the program is entered there is no turning back.”  
“So what happened to everyone in Waco?” Taylor pointed out, “I heard they rescued like thirty people?”  
“Some were retrieved. The remainder eliminated,” Charlie replied, “it took some time, but they were all found.”  
Taylor’s eyes widened as he processed this, before realisation crossed his face.  
“My brother was in Waco,” he whispered.  
Hurriedly, he got to his feet.  
“Charlie?” he asked, looking down on him, “where’s my brother?”  
Charlie’s expression didn’t even flinch.  
“I have said too much already,” he said softly, before turning to leave.  
“Charlie, no!” Taylor exclaimed, stepping forward to touch the wires but stopping himself just in time, “Charlie I need to know! What happened?! Is he even alive?!”  
He stared after him as Charlie simply kept walking. When he made it to the door Taylor watched with apprehension as he turned the spotlight off, leaving him in blinding darkness once again.


	26. 26

“Derek Krüger,” the agent announced, throwing his file onto the conference room table.  
“Derek?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose, “his name is Derek?”  
“What about it?” Rick looked across at him as Davison took the file and the agent gave him a curious look.  
“Nothing, I just… Derek? I figured his name would sound more… evil.”  
Rick smirked as Davison opened the file to a colour photo and CIA profile.  
“Looks like you’ve been tracking this guy for a while,” he said as he looked through.  
“That’s an understatement,” the agent leant on the back of a chair, “Krüger’s been in the game for a long time. He went underground about six years ago and hasn’t been seen since. Well, until your boys found him.”  
“And if he hadn’t suddenly resurfaced this week, he would have stayed gone,” Rick pointed out, “so whatever the guys are involved in had to be worth his exposure.”  
“Once again making me feel better,” Isaac pulled a face.  
“It’s a gift.”  
“We’ve tracked this guy’s movements across three continents over the period of roughly three decades,” the agent went on, “back in the late 80’s and early 90’s he was a part of a small group that took on the brunt work of a tiny terrorist cell spread over middle Europe from Germany through to Romania…”  
“Terrorists?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose again.  
“He was just getting started,” the agent nodded, “but he picked up a few tricks here and there. It wasn’t until he made the leap across the pond that he became invested in human trafficking. He started small-time down in Mexico and gradually moved further north. Eventually he progressed from being one of the lackeys to what he is today… their main trainer.”  
“Trainer?” Rick’s eyes narrowed, “so you’re saying he’s not even running the show?”  
“If he were running the show, he would not have been sent after your brothers,” the agent spared Isaac a glance, “no one in their right mind would risk that kind of exposure higher up in the ranks.”  
“So maybe they think he’s become expendable?” Davison suggested absently, still reading the profile.  
“We can only hope,” the agent shrugged, “but I’ll tell you one thing. We will be needing the Yankee Feds.”  
“I’ll put out the call when we’re done here,” Davison assured, passing the profile over to Rick once he was satisfied.  
Isaac leant in to read over his shoulder, flinching a little as the photo brought up hard memories.  
“So do we have a plan to search this guy out?” Davison clasped his hands together.  
“DC has facial recognition working overtime on all the available cameras of inner city Tulsa,” the agent assured, “if we get a hit on either Krüger or his accomplice we’ll know about it in seconds. Hopefully he hasn’t gone too far just yet, but they’re not willing to involve Dallas or anywhere else until they’re sure they’re not wasting resources.”  
Isaac scoffed at that but said nothing.  
There was a knock at the door and Davison looked up as Parker ducked her head in.  
“Just got a call from the lab,” she eyed the agent before elaborating, “the explosions used on the station were the same standard used on Zac’s car. Most likely professionally made.”  
“Thanks Parker,” Davison nodded as she disappeared again, “guess that solves the target question.”


	27. 27

“You know what this means then,” Rick looked between them, “if they _are_ going after people on the case, the rest of them are in this room right now.”  
“I don’t think we need to worry just yet,” the agent assured, “Krüger will need time to regroup, and I’m sure he has better things to do.”  
“But if he’s not the head honcho, who’s to say it was him who bombed the station?” Isaac pointed out, “he could have lackeys of his own. The guy that drove Zac’s car for example. Who knows how many people he has working for him?”  
“I’d like to say not many, considering the Waco raid,” Davison looked to the agent, “but if he’s been underground for so long he’s bound to have made many a friend in waiting.”  
“And therein lies our worrying variable,” the agent said as his and Davison’s phones suddenly started ringing at the same time.  
“Gorman,” he answered, turning his back to the table.  
“This is… intense,” Rick said to Isaac as both officers spoke on the phone.  
“You’re telling me,” Isaac’s eyebrows rose again, “I mean sure I found the guy intimidating, but I had no idea…”  
“Thanks,” Davison was the first to hang up, “well I don’t know if you boys will be happy to know or not, but that was the lab. Calling about the blood in Zac’s car.”  
Isaac and Rick immediately looked up.  
“It’s confirmed,” Davison looked Isaac square in the eye, “the blood belongs to Zac.”  
Rick cursed as Isaac just looked more worried.  
“Once again, it’s not enough to prove a fatal wound,” Davison assured.  
“I know,” Isaac turned to watch the agent still on the phone, “but I can’t be the only one tired of the sight of my brothers’ blood.”  
Rick gave him a sympathetic pat on the back as Gorman also ended his call.  
“That was DC,” he informed them as he turned back to the table, “they just got a call from Tulsa International. Apparently a couple of hours before he died, Agent Jannali called them and told them to up their security. He also had them sent a copy of the APBs.”  
Isaac immediately stood.  
“Could they have tracked them to the airport? Would that be why?” Rick looked between Gorman and Davison.  
“Only one way to find out. We need to get down there and check their feeds,” Gorman looked to Davison, “got a squad car we can run up there in?”  
“We can take mine,” Davison stood, unclipping his keys from his belt.  
“You boys coming?” Gorman asked.  
“Just try and hold me back,” Isaac insisted.  
“Don’t. It never ends well,” Rick mused as he also stood.  
“Good. Then let’s go.”  
“I’ll call New York en route,” Davison assured as they stepped out, “Parker!”  
She appeared from an office down the hall.  
“Tell Moran we’re on our way to Tulsa International. It may have been the location Carlson picked up on.”  
“On it, Sir!”  
The four made their way from the building, and were soon on their way to the airport.


	28. 28

“I’m Agent Gorman from DC, this is Sergeant Davison with the Tulsa metro,” Gorman flashed his ID in introduction, “I hear you took the call about the security breach last night?”  
“I did,” the office lady folded her arms defensively, eyeing Rick and Isaac as they stood in the doorway.  
“What can you tell me about what Agent Jannali said?”  
“Not much,” the woman shrugged, “I received the information he sent over, and we were told just to keep an eye out for these two guys…”  
“What restrictions were put in place?” Gorman asked, “who was watching?”  
“Umm…” she paused for thought, “we had security on each gate keeping an eye out. The check-in counters were each given a copy of the photos… and the security screening areas. So far there haven’t been any hits.”  
“Is it possible to check the footage from a few days ago?” Davison looked between them, “if Carlson was tracking the car there, and only got the APBs out when he realised they were headed here, they could have been long gone.”  
“We’d have to talk to George, the head of security about that,” the woman thought out loud, “would you like me to get him?”  
“That’d be great, thanks,” Gorman nodded as she walked away.  
“We also need to get back onto the ODT and see if we can hijack the highway cameras again,” Davison added, “see if we can’t track the Mercedes again ourselves.”  
“We need to find this car,” Gorman insisted, glancing over at where Isaac was watching like a hawk.  
“We’ll check long term parking and storage while we’re here,” Davison looked up as the woman returned with a burly security guard.  
“This is George,” she introduced.  
“O’Malley,” he offered his hand, which Gorman shook.  
“Agent Gorman, this is Sergeant Davison. We’d like to enquire about getting hold of some security footage.”  
“Sure, right this way,” the guard indicated for them to follow him.  
Gorman turned back as he saw Isaac about to follow them.  
“Stay here,” he ordered, making Isaac stop in his tracks, “you don’t have the clearance.”  
“Dammit,” Isaac cursed under his breath as they walked away.  
“Hey, there’s not much we can do here anyway,” Rick tried to reassure him, “they’ll probably take the footage back to the station to watch anyhow.”  
“Why would they do that if they could be here though?” Isaac scorned.  
“Because I’m pretty sure the four of us aren’t really in a position to take this guy on,” Rick pointed out, “especially not if he has your brothers on hand.”  
“Dammit!” he cursed again, running his fingers through his hair.  
“There’s no use going through the what-ifs,” Rick shook his head, “we just need to ride it out.”  
“I _hate_ riding it out!”  
“Pretty sure I know this first hand,” Rick said under his breath.  
Isaac stepped back out into the hallway where they’d walked in.  
“The guy owns a Cessna,” he said to himself suddenly.  
“Yeah, and?” Rick raised an eyebrow.  
“So why is he at an International airport?” Isaac frowned, “the Cessna wouldn’t be here.”


	29. 29

Taylor took a deep breath and sighed. Yet again he had no idea of how much time had passed, and he’d been left in the dark the whole time. He’d managed to catch what he thought had been a few hours’ sleep but his stomach growling yet again had woken him up.  
He carefully felt his way across the concrete to the water bottle and took another sip. It was more than half gone already. As he set the bottle back down, a sudden commotion from outside the door caught his attention.  
Sitting up in preparation, he strained his eyes to see a shadow as the door opened. He couldn’t make out who was there, but he heard footsteps coming toward him. Wondering why the light hadn’t been turned on first, he waited to see what was going to happen.  
Just when the footsteps reached where the chair sat, the light suddenly came on. Recoiling from the spotlight, it took a moment for Taylor to realise who stood outside the cage.  
“ZAC?!” he shouted, jumping to his feet.  
His younger brother couldn’t reply. A man Taylor vaguely recognised held him by the back of a familiar black collar, keeping him motionless with a kitchen knife to his throat. His hands were restrained in front of him with cuffs identical to those Taylor remembered wearing the year before, and he’d been gagged with similar cloth.  
Taylor took him in for a moment, desperately holding himself back from the edge of the cage, before looking up to see that the Texan had been the one to turn the light on and had begun making his way over to them.  
“What are you doing?” Taylor’s voice shook, eyes on the Texan as Zac closed his.  
“I felt you both needed a lesson in humility,” the Texan drawled, getting closer, “though his training has been coming along rather well so far.”  
Taylor’s eyes went back to his brother, who just stared up at him helplessly. He tried to stop himself wondering what he’d been through and instead opted to focus on the here and now.  
“Why is he bleeding?” Taylor’s eyes lowered to one of Zac’s arms which had a trail of dried blood running down it.  
Aside from minor cuts and scrapes, Taylor hadn’t bled during any of his training sessions.  
“It’s his own fault. He put up quite a fight to begin with,” the Texan spared Zac a glance as he made it to his side, “didn’t you now?”  
Zac’s eyes shot to the Texan worriedly.  
“Kneel.”  
Taylor cringed as the order left the Texan’s lips, watching as Zac’s escort took the blade from his throat and let him collapse forward onto his knees.  
Taylor’s mind raced as he covered his face with his hands. With what Charlie had told him earlier, he knew that begging them to spare Zac wasn’t going to work. Begging them not to hurt him wouldn’t work either – he was going through training. He didn’t know what, if anything, he could do for his brother.  
“Please, can I talk to him?” Taylor asked softly, lowering his hands.  
“You know what I want in return.”  
“I don’t!” Taylor exclaimed, “what can I do?!”  
“Look at your surroundings,” the Texan shrugged, “what is the one thing you can do for me?”  
Taylor frowned in confusion before his eyes fell to the collar. He felt his heart skip a beat.  
“Fine,” Taylor closed his eyes, defeated, “I’ll do it.”


	30. 30

The Texan smiled subtly, stepping over to the electrical switch and turning it off.  
Zac let out a muffled cry when he realised what his brother had agreed to, but Taylor had already stooped to pick up the collar.  
“No turning back,” the Texan assured as he stepped back over to Zac’s side.  
“I know,” Taylor’s voice broke again.  
He paused a moment to try and pull himself together as he held it in his hands.  
“And you’ll let me talk to him? It’s not a trick?” he made sure, daring to look the Texan in the eye as he tried to ignore the sounds coming from Zac.  
“I have no reason to trick you,” the Texan shrugged, “you have my word.”  
Taylor closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, before quickly slipping the collar around his neck and fastening it. As soon as it was on the Texan nodded to his accomplice.  
“Remove the gag.”  
Taylor’s eyes opened to watch as it was ripped from Zac’s mouth, and his brother looked up to check that it was okay to move. When he got the nod, he pulled himself to his feet and staggered to the side of the cage. Taylor fell to his knees slipping his fingers through the wires as far as they would go as he tried to clasp hands with his brother.  
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.  
“No,” Zac scorned incredulously, “Tay I had no idea…”  
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Taylor hushed, eyes darting up to their captors.  
“You’ve got two minutes,” the Texan set the timer on his watch.  
“Tay I don’t think I can fight them,” Zac admitted, barely above a whisper even though the room echoed loudly, “and I’ve tried, I really have.”  
Taylor’s brow furrowed, feeling through the small contact he had that Zac’s hands were shaking.  
“Then don’t,” he said seriously.  
“What?” Zac frowned in shock.  
“Don’t fight them,” Taylor stared him in the eye, “it’s only worse if you do. You have to work with them.”  
“You want me to give up?” Zac’s frown deepened, “no, I can’t!”  
“I’m not asking you to give up, I’m asking you to stay alive,” Taylor said through his teeth, his voice shaky.  
Zac looked down as he gathered himself, realising what his brother was saying.  
“ _Never_ give up,” Taylor insisted, “because if you don’t find me first, I _will_ find you. Failing that, Ike will. And you know it.”  
“I know it,” Zac relented, glancing back at his escort before turning back.  
“All you can do… Zac? All you can do, you focus on Shepherd, and you focus on Junia,” Taylor tried to keep his attention as he could tell his brother was breaking down, “and you use them. I was never as determined as when Nate threatened Penny. You use them, you keep them in your heart, and you know you’ll get back to them. You got it?”  
Zac just nodded, before jumping a few inches as the timer went off.  
“Time’s up,” the Texan announced, the other man stepping forward to take Zac back.  
“Tay I’m sorry,” Zac was referring to what he’d had to do.  
“Don’t be,” Taylor insisted, “just never forget.”  
He sat back as the man gagged Zac again, then pulled him back by the collar.


	31. 31

“Your turn,” the Texan said, making his way to the cage’s gate.  
Taylor’s eyes didn’t leave him, wondering what he meant by that. He watched as he pulled the small metal tray out from under the gate, dropping in a set of handcuffs. As he pushed them through to Taylor’s side, Taylor’s eyes met his again.  
“Put them on,” he ordered, “with your hands behind your back.”  
Taylor darted a look across at Zac, seeing the knife back at his throat already as an incentive. Not taking the chance, he leant over and gingerly took up the cuffs. He took a second to look them over before fastening one side to his right wrist, and behind his back fastening the other to his left.  
“Lie down on your stomach,” the Texan continued calmly, before beginning to unlock the cage door.  
Zac watched on worriedly as his brother did as he was told, staying put as the cage door was opened for the first time.   
The Texan stepped up to the concrete platform, took the few steps needed to get to Taylor’s side, then reached down to pull him up by the collar. Taylor struggled to get to his knees and then to his feet as he choked from the pressure, coughing as he found the pressure finally relieved when standing.  
“You forgot something,” the man said simply.  
Taylor just stared back at him, not totally sure what he meant and hoping that what he thought was wrong. The Texan suddenly pushed him forward, Taylor hitting the side of the cage hard with a grimace. When he felt the Texan go for his hands his eyes widened in panic.  
“No! No!” he cried out, visibly shaking with the effort, “please, don’t break them! I’ll take it off I swear!”  
“You have another,” the man sounded curious as he lifted Taylor’s right hand to study the ring there.  
Taylor gulped, his eyes going to Zac.  
“Remove them both.”  
Taylor waited as he stood back patiently. When Taylor was sure he’d stopped moving, he quickly struggled to pull both his wedding ring and his Hanson ring from his fingers. They both hit the concrete with a clatter as Taylor’s eyes teared up once again.  
“Good boy,” the Texan grabbed him by the hair and began pulling him from the cage.  
Taylor cried out at the pain as he struggled to find his footing on the small stairs, before the Texan threw him down onto the floor and rubbed the grease from his hand onto his pant leg. Yet another muffled cry came from Zac’s direction as he was held firm. It took this moment for Taylor to realise that Zac’s wedding ring was also missing.  
“I’ll take it from here,” the Texan said decidedly, walking toward them and leaving Taylor where he’d fallen to the floor.  
Taylor watched like a hawk as the other man took the knife from Zac’s throat and sheathed it, the Texan taking hold of Zac by the arm.  
“What about him?” the man nodded to Taylor as he tried to figure out where he knew him from.  
“I have some more work to do with this one for tonight,” the Texan seemed to consider, “you are relieved of your charge. Why don’t you stay back and release some of that tension?”  
Taylor’s eyes darted between them as the Texan began to pull Zac toward the door, and the other man just smiled in his direction. Zac let out another muffled cry before they disappeared from sight, and Taylor turned his attention to the man now advancing on him.  
He struggled to pull himself up into a sitting position before being clocked across the jaw.


	32. 32

Isaac put his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees on the bench he and Rick sat. It felt like they’d been there for hours already and there’d been no sign of Gorman or Davison for nearly that long.  
“They can’t be too much longer,” Rick shook his head before stifling a yawn.  
Isaac just gave him a glance before looking up in time to see Davison making his way down the hall. Isaac got to his feet, followed by Rick.  
“What’s going on?” he demanded, “what’s taking so long?”  
“We were looking up the records of all cars who entered the parking areas on the day your brothers went missing,” Davison informed him, “there were plenty of Mercedes’, but none of the drivers fit Krüger or the other guy’s descriptions. And there was no sign of your brothers.”  
“So what, are you thinking they didn’t come here after all?” Rick asked.  
“I don’t know,” Davison shook his head, “but Gorman’s going to stay behind and continue monitoring the feeds from that day in case something comes up. He’ll be here all night. I’m going to head back to the station and see if I can get a hold of that highway footage. Call it a gut feeling, but I don’t think they ever made it to the airport.”  
Isaac and Rick shared a worried look.  
“And what if they didn’t?” Isaac asked.  
“If all goes well it’ll take me all night, but I should know by morning,” Davison assured, “which is when the New York Feds are due in by the way. From the call I had with them they’re looking for a quick clean up, so don’t be surprised if we actually find your brothers tomorrow.”  
“So much for not getting our hopes up,” Rick muttered as Isaac’s eyes flashed.  
“So what now?” Isaac asked.  
“For now? You guys go home and get some sleep,” Davison insisted, “there’s no need for all of us to pull all-nighters. And yes, I promise to call you if I come up with anything.”  
Isaac nodded reluctantly.  
“Okay sure.”  
The three solemnly left the airport, heading back to the station in Davison’s squad car. Once there Rick and Isaac headed straight home, wishing Davison luck before departing.

*

At least three or four hours later, Taylor barely managed to look up as he heard the door opening. Charlie quietly entered and made his way over to where Taylor had been left, sitting up against the base of the cage with his hands cuffed above his head to the wire.  
Taylor was sporting some very obvious injuries and plenty of unobvious ones too. An angry welt ran across his left cheek where his eye had started to swell, a trail of blood ran down the side of his neck from a wound somewhere in his hair, and his right arm sat at an unnatural angle which could only mean some part of it had been dislocated. Those were what Charlie could see.  
Charlie tentatively crouched beside him as Taylor waited to find out why he was there. He flinched back a little when Charlie held something to his lips, in his mind thinking it must have been a gag.  
“Drink,” Charlie insisted, “it has the nutrient you’ve been denied.”  
When Taylor managed to squeeze his eyes open tiredly, he saw the cup Charlie held in front of him. Obediently he quickly drank as much as he dared before having to pull back.  
“What was that?” he coughed, grimacing a little at the taste.  
“Electrolyte replacement,” Charlie replied softly, setting the cup aside.


	33. 33

“Why?” Taylor asked before coughing again.  
“It has been a while since you’ve eaten,” Charlie offered as an answer.  
“Since when does he care?”  
Charlie knelt back a little as he began fussing with the small bag he’d brought in with him. He revealed a small cloth which he began to use to clean Taylor up with.  
“He doesn’t,” he replied after what seemed like forever.  
Taylor frowned in confusion, feeling the need to shift himself and sit up properly but not daring to move in his current state.  
“Why do you?” he asked after another long moment of silence, “if I’m here to replace you, you should hate me.”  
“I do not,” Charlie assured as the cloth followed the blood trail down Taylor’s throat.  
“Why not?” Taylor’s eyes followed his movements, a little more awake now, “what do you think he’s going to do with you? When the time comes?”  
“I know what he is going to do.”  
Taylor’s eyebrows rose as he took in the man’s usual calm demeanour.  
“He’s going to kill you, isn’t he?” his eyes darted.  
He hissed through his teeth as Charlie began to clean off his damaged arm.  
“And you’re okay with it?!” his voice rose a little with the pain.  
“I have served my time in this life,” Charlie amended softly, “I am ready for what the next one brings.”  
Taylor didn’t know what to say to that. He certainly couldn’t blame him for feeling that way.  
As Charlie went on with his chore in silence, Taylor struggled to think of something to say.  
“Charlie…” he began after a time, “do you have any children?”  
“I had a son, once,” he admitted in his usual placid tone.  
“What was his name?”  
“His name was Ian.”  
“And you don’t want to go out and find him?” Taylor asked, matching his tone, “maybe when the time comes…”  
“It is not up to me,” Charlie said simply, “but if it were… no.”  
“Why not?” Taylor was confused.  
“It serves no purpose other than to upset him. If he could be found.”  
“But what about what you want?” Taylor frowned.  
“What I want is irrelevant.”  
“But what if it wasn’t?”  
Charlie paused in what he was doing, not bothering to look Taylor in the eye.  
“You have children?” he asked finally.  
“I have three boys, Ezra, River and Viggo,” Taylor replied in a harsher tone, “and two little girls, their names are Penny and Willa. And I would do _anything_ to see them again.”  
“I think I remember feeling that way,” Charlie paused to consider.  
“Then you must understand how desperate I am to not be here,” Taylor shook his head.  
Charlie’s eyes lowered as he finished cleaning and put the cloth away.  
“Do not worry,” he tried to use an assuring tone, “you will soon forget. As I did.”  
Taylor gulped at that, forcing himself to hold the tears at bay as Charlie pulled out some food.


	34. 34

It had been maybe an hour after Charlie left that the door opened again. This time Taylor did struggle to sit up straight when he saw that it was the Texan returning with the man who’d beaten him in tow.  
“Fix his arm and prepare him for transport,” the Texan ordered as they advanced.  
Taylor’s eyes darted between them as the hitter came for him. He unlocked his handcuffs, not very worried about Taylor going anywhere, before pulling him up by the shirt. Taylor couldn’t help but cry out as his arm moved, before he felt the man roughly grab his shoulder. Trying to brace himself for what he knew was coming, he had to yell out again as he felt the shoulder being wrenched back into place.  
The cuffs were back on him a second later.  
“I trust you’re not going to cause any trouble on the way,” the Texan eyed Taylor.  
When Taylor didn’t respond to that the other man took him by the hair and led him from the room.  
The Texan switched the light off as they made it to the door before they stepped out into a wide walkway.   
“How long do you think we have?” the man who had Taylor asked.  
“Not long,” the Texan responded, “they’re watching the security feeds as we speak. There’s every chance they know where we are.”  
Taylor’s eyes widened as it clicked to what they must have been talking about. As they turned through another doorway into what appeared to be a moderate sized aircraft hangar housing only a large black Mercedes, Taylor tried to wrench himself away from the man’s grip.  
“Steady, steady,” the man relinquished his hold and hooked the collar in his fist instead.  
“My brother’s coming for us, isn’t he?” Taylor looked to the Texan, keeping his chin up as he felt the pull on his throat.  
Blue met blue but the Texan didn’t indulge him with a response.  
“Gag him and put him in the back with 353,” he ordered as he made for the front of the car.  
“I’m right, aren’t I?” Taylor’s heart started racing, “they’re closing in already. You’re scared.”  
He grunted as the escort with him clocked him across the jaw again. The resulting blow sent him to his knees, and by the time he recovered he felt the thick cloth being tied around his mouth.  
With a groan he was pulled to his feet again and taken to the back door of the car. When it was opened he caught sight of Zac’s legs, seeing how the back seat had been removed and replaced with a carpeted floor through to the trunk. His brother was out cold, hair strewn across his bruised face.  
The man pushed him into the back and shut the door behind him. Taylor immediately shifted over to check on his brother, soon spotting the tell-tale red mark on his arm that told him he’d been sedated intravenously.  
It took him a moment to realise that Charlie was in the back with them, sitting quietly in the front corner behind the driver’s seat and not bothering to look in their direction.  
The Texan and his lackey soon got into the front seats and started the car, pulling forward and out of the hangar. Taylor fell down onto his side beside Zac so that he couldn’t fall any further as they began negotiating the turning roads outside.  
The windows in the car were blacked out, but he could still tell that it was night time. As a plane flew low overhead, Taylor realised that must have been the constant hums he’d heard while in the cage.  
Realising the knowledge was too late to help him he closed his eyes and braced his feet against the carpet to stop himself sliding, managing to hold Zac steady as he did.


	35. 35

When Isaac awoke the following morning, he realised he hadn’t had a call from Davison. Glancing at the clock and realising it wasn’t even 7am yet, he decided to get up and go about his normal morning routine.  
It was nearing 8am when he got the call.  
“Hey, how did you go?” Isaac asked as he sipped his second coffee.  
“Better than expected,” came Davison’s voice, “I know it’s not often I call with good news, but I managed to track the Mercedes. They did make it to the airport, they just didn’t go to the terminal.”  
“What do you mean?” Isaac frowned, setting his mug down on the counter.  
“They took a side track down toward the Air Force base,” Davison revealed, “it seems they holed up in one of the abandoned hangars out at airport west.”  
“You think that’s where they are?”  
“Best lead we’ve got. And just in time, too. The Feds are due in within the hour. They’ll be ready to do a raid.”  
“Have you heard anything from Gorman?” Isaac rubbed his face.  
“Last I heard he hadn’t found anything. Which shouldn’t be surprising considering they didn’t make it to the airport.”  
“So what’s the plan?”  
“Well if you and Rick can get down to the station in the next half hour, we’ll suit up with the Feds and head out there before lunchtime.”  
“I’m there,” Isaac assured, “see you soon.”  
“See you Isaac.”  
Isaac hung up and immediately called Rick to relay the news.  
“That’s awesome!” he exclaimed, “who’s driving?!”  
“I am. I’m heading out the door now.”  
It was within ten minutes that Isaac made it to Rick’s, and it took another twenty to get to the station. As Isaac pulled up outside, they spotted Davison pacing in the foyer.  
“Everything okay?” Rick asked once they’d stepped through the doors.  
“Yeah,” Davison shrugged off, “the Feds are due is all. Take a seat.”  
Isaac gave Rick a glance before sitting in the small waiting room to the side. He adjusted his jacket as Rick sat beside him.  
“How goes the surveillance?” Isaac asked.  
“On hold,” Davison admitted, “I’ve spent the night conversing with tactical response to try and set up the raid so the Feds can just walk in and take over.”  
Isaac’s eyebrows rose. When he looked across at Rick, he shrugged.  
It was barely five minutes before two vans pulled up outside the station. Davison was out the door in a flash.  
“Sergeant Davison?” an agent in SWAT uniform greeted as he stepped out of the van.  
“That’s me,” he shook his hand.  
“Great. Let’s get on the road. I take it you have all the specifics?”  
“I do,” Davison assured, handing him an iPad, “everything you need to know is in here.”  
“Cool. Let’s blow this bitch.”  
Davison raised an eyebrow as the agent returned to the van, before turning and beckoning to Isaac and Rick. As the vans pulled out they piled into Davison’s squad car and followed closely behind.


	36. 36

The vans came to a halt just off Mingo Road and Davison pulled the squad car up behind them.  
“What are they doing?” Isaac asked, leaning forward to see.  
“Grouping I’d say,” Davison reassured as they saw at least twelve SWAT members exit the vehicles and converge between them.  
They sat and watched in silence for a good few minutes, noticing the agent Davison had spoken to giving some vague handmade directions. When the group scattered and returned to their vehicles, the agent made his way over to the squad car. Davison lowered his window.  
“All set?” he asked.  
“All set. Who are these two?” he demanded, indicating Isaac and Rick.  
“Isaac Hanson and Richard Astley.”  
“And they are…?”  
“Isaac’s brothers are Krüger’s current hostages. Astley worked the case with us nine years ago.”  
“What’s his clearance?”  
“Don’t you worry about them, they’re my charges.”  
“Then keep it that way,” the agent spared Isaac a glance as Rick scowled, “and keep them out of the way. We’re going in.”  
“Want us to man the vans?” Rick offered snidely.  
“No,” the agent scorned, before returning to the vehicle.  
“Jerk,” Rick muttered.  
Davison started up the car again and followed the vans further up the road. Once they turned into the main driveway, both vans picked up speed. Davison hung back as the vans split, surrounding the aircraft hangar on either side. Two agents from each van jumped from the back while the vehicles were still in motion, rushing to the sides of the building to cover the back end as the vans continued around and out of sight.  
“Damn,” Isaac said under his breath as Davison pulled up where they could keep a watchful eye – and block any attempt by the targets to leave.  
They spotted another two agents ducking around the left side of the hangar, shouting orders to the two already stationed at the back. A couple of hand signals later and the two rear agents entered through a side door.  
A large crash was suddenly heard, enough to feel a vibration in the squad car and make Isaac wonder if a plane had broken through the back somewhere.  
“What the heck was that?” Rick frowned as they saw the SWAT members yelling again.  
Not seconds later an all-mighty boom was heard, and the front half of the hangar went up in flames.  
“Not again!” Isaac exclaimed, immediately getting out of the car.  
“Isaac wait!” Davison ordered, getting out himself with Rick soon following.  
Isaac paused at the front of the car, watching as the plume of smoke rose into the air. Seemingly ignoring the dangers, the remaining SWAT members outside the building quickly made their way inside.  
“He’s not here,” Isaac said decidedly, running his fingers through his hair.  
“That much is obvious,” Rick agreed, coming to stand beside him, “and he also knew we were coming.”  
“You two stay here,” Davison insisted, beginning to make his way over.  
Isaac and Rick watched as he met with an emerging agent, and immediately went for his phone.


	37. 37

“What happened?!” Isaac called out as he got closer.  
“Isaac I told you to stay back!” Davison shot him a glare between speaking on the phone.  
“And I’m not listening, what’s new?” Isaac pointed out.  
Davison finished his call before paying him any further attention.  
“Explosives were rigged at the main gates upon entry,” he explained, “a good half the building and at least eight agents are gone.”  
“Holy crap,” Rick’s eyes widened.  
“Safe to say this is where he was. But he sure isn’t here now.”  
“We figured,” Isaac agreed, scratching his chin, “so what now?”  
“We’ve got a few agents inside securing the building before we let anyone else in,” Davison was dialling his phone again, “we don’t know if the back half is rigged to go up as well.”  
“Point taken,” Rick assured, grabbing Isaac by the arm and pulling him back away from the hangar.  
“Rick-“  
“Isaac, don’t. Let’s survive this thing long enough to actually find them, alright?”  
Isaac groaned but let himself be pulled away to what Rick considered a safe enough distance.  
It would have been a good half hour before the all clear was given. Davison insisted that Isaac and Rick wait outside while he checked it out, but he soon returned and called them in. Giving Isaac a worried glance after seeing Davison’s expression, Rick led the way in.  
The door they entered took them into a wide hallway that seemed to run down one side of the hangar. The first room they came to seemed like a makeshift office-turned-torture chamber.  
“What the-?” Rick couldn’t hold himself back as they stepped through.  
There were chains bolted into the walls, a desk near the door, papers strewn everywhere and bloodstains in scattered blotches across the carpeted floor. Isaac covered his face with his hands as Rick took a further step inside.  
“Try not to touch anything before forensics get here,” Davison insisted before continuing down the hall on his own.  
“I think it’s safe to say this is where he had Zac, at least,” Rick said softly.  
When Isaac looked up and saw him tilting his head, he frowned.  
“What is it?” he made his way over to his side as Rick pointed to the floor behind a bloodstained chair.  
Isaac immediately saw Zac’s necklace – complete with wedding ring – sitting atop a handwritten note.   
“That’s Zac’s writing,” Isaac ducked down to pick them up.  
“He said not to… touch… anything,” Rick trailed off, knowing it was too late.  
Isaac saw that the necklace had been snapped, not undone, before his eyes fell to the note.  
“It’s written to me,” he frowned.  
“What does it say?” Rick leant in to read for himself.  
“Directions,” Isaac glanced up before returning focus, “and a warning to come alone.”  
“Right. Because that’ll happen,” Rick scorned before Davison appeared in the doorway again.  
Isaac hurriedly hid the note in his jacket as he looked up.  
“You guys are going to want to see this,” Davison insisted wide-eyed before disappearing back down the hall again.  
Isaac and Rick gave each other another worried look before following.


	38. 38

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Isaac shook his head as they walked in.  
Rick spared him a glance before making his way over to where two SWAT agents were inspecting the cage. One of them was inside already, the other making chalk outlines around a large bloodstain running down the concrete base.  
“What is this?” Rick asked when he made it to Davison’s side.  
“I have no idea,” Davison shook his head, hands on his hips.  
“It’s a cage,” Isaac said blandly, coming to rest behind the two of them.  
“I’ve got what looks like rings here,” the agent inside the cage could be heard telling his co-worker.  
Isaac stepped forward and made his way over to the cage.  
“Stay back!” the agent working the bloodstains ordered, standing from his crouch.  
Isaac raised his hands in surrender.  
“Show me the rings,” he insisted, seeing the other agent inspecting them.  
The agents gave each other a silent look before the one in the cage stepped out and jumped to the floor. Making his way over he insisted that Isaac didn’t touch them as he held them out on his gloved hand.  
Isaac cursed and turned back to Rick.  
“They’re Taylor’s,” he confirmed, “Taylor was in here.”  
He turned back as the agent bagged them and made his way back into the cage.  
“It proves they were both here at least,” Rick still looked worried.  
“Both?” Davison caught the remark.  
“Yeah…” Isaac carefully pulled Zac’s wedding ring from his pocket, “I know you told me not to touch anything, but… this is Zac’s.”  
“Put it away before anyone sees,” Davison gave him a scornful look but his tone was sympathetic.  
Isaac hid the ring again, careful to keep an eye on what the agent was doing with Taylor’s. They seemed to be setting everything they found aside, ready for the forensic team to come in.  
“How far away is backup?” Rick asked.  
“On their way,” Davison assured, “they’re sending some security over from the airport as well to help secure the perimeter. They should be here any second.”  
“And what’s our next step?” Isaac tried to get back to business, “they’re not here. So now what?”  
Davison shrugged.  
“Back to the ODT I guess.”  
Isaac rolled his eyes and after another glance in the direction Taylor’s rings had been placed he made to leave the building. Rick stayed to watch for a moment before following.  
He found the eldest Hanson standing outside reading Zac’s note over again.  
“You’re not thinking of doing it, are you?” he frowned as he made his way over.  
“Of course not,” Isaac gave him a scornful look, “I know it’s a trap.”  
“Good. Because it is,” Rick insisted, “and if he wants to get hold of you, you know he’s going to use them against you.”  
“I know.”  
He paused, then folded the note up again.  
“So why does he want me to come in?” he asked rhetorically, “I had nothing to do with this before.”  
“Because you’re a thorn in his side maybe?” Rick suggested, “who knows with terrorists?”  
Isaac pulled a face at the use of the word terrorist before putting the note away again.


	39. 39

When Taylor came to he found himself still in the back of the car. He had no idea how long they’d been driving, but it had certainly been more than a few hours. Zac had woken up a few hours into the trip but at the first fuel stop they’d both been put under again.  
Rolling up onto his side with a bit of difficulty, Taylor eyed Charlie before seeing that they were driving slowly through a set of tall gates. With a groan he lay his head down again until the car came to a stop.  
The Texan stepped out of the vehicle and turned back to the driver.  
“Take them around back. Charlie knows what to do,” he insisted, before patting the hood and closing the door.  
Taylor’s eyes shot to Charlie as the car began moving slowly again. A couple of minutes later Charlie had directed them into a large garage and the car came to a silent halt.  
Before the driver even got out of the car there was a groan from Zac’s direction. Taylor’s head snapped around the second he heard it and he shuffled over to take hold of Zac’s arm.  
The back door opened and Charlie stepped out before beckoning for Taylor to move toward him. Knowing he had to go but not wanting to leave Zac, he paused for a second before complying. When he made it to the door the other man took him roughly by the arm and pulled him aside before the door was closed on Zac again and the car alarm set.  
Taylor tried to ask why he was being left behind but anything that came out was too muffled by the gag. Before he could be led from the garage he quickly took in his surroundings, seeing how the roller door was slowly closing behind them.  
“Where to?” the escort asked Charlie.  
“The Master insists he is to be made comfortable, as this is our home.”  
Taylor’s eyes darted to Charlie when he heard that. He’d thought their ‘home’ was at the base in Waco.  
Charlie led the way down a series of corridors leading from the garage. The lower portion of the house to which the garage was adjoined seemed to be almost a labyrinth, and along with the drugs still in his system Taylor had trouble keeping track of the directions he was being taken in.  
They soon came to a room which was furnished with carpet a similar mahogany colour to the home in Waco. Aside from a white door in the opposite wall, the only other features to the rectangular shaped room were a large mahogany chair and a ring bolt secured to the floor a few feet in front of it. Attached to the ring bolt was a very long length of chain, and Taylor immediately knew what was going to happen here.  
As suspected the end of the chain was secured to the front of his collar, before Charlie turned to their escort.  
“353 is to be taken to the training room in the basement,” he said simply.  
“And where is that?” the man asked impatiently.  
“Beside the garage,” Charlie replied unphased, turning away as if to dismiss him.  
Taylor watched the byplay with interest, not having seen Charlie exuberate any sense of authority before. The man left with a grumble before Charlie produced the key to Taylor’s cuffs.  
As soon as they were off, Taylor ripped the gag from his mouth.  
“Charlie what’s happening?” he asked, “where are we?”  
Charlie slipped the cuffs into a pocket before moving to untie the knot in the gag.  
“We are home,” he said simply.


	40. 40

“I thought ‘home’ was in Waco?” Taylor frowned.  
“We have many homes,” Charlie slid the cloth away from Taylor’s neck and wrapped it around his fist to carry, “but Kyle is where the Master likes to stay.”  
“Kyle?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose.  
He’d never been told where he was before. He committed the name to memory instantly.  
Charlie gave him an odd look before stepping back.  
“I have said too much,” he said softly before turning to leave, “the Master will be in to speak with you.”  
Taylor took hold of the chain as he heard the door lock behind him, before taking a proper look around the room. There really was nothing else to see.  
The chain gave him enough movement to walk around the entire space, and he used it to go over to the opposite door. He was surprised when it opened easily, revealing a small bathroom. With a groan he realised this meant he could be here for a while.  
Running his fingers absently up the chain to the collar he made his way back over to the chair and took a seat. The thickness of the chain alone was enough to tell him he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so he set to once again trying to figure out how to remove the collar from his neck.

*

“Sorry for the slight interruption to our schedule,” the Texan tutted as he walked into the room.  
Zac looked up in silence from where he’d been left sitting back against the side wall, his hands still cuffed behind him and the gag still secure.  
“I’d usually like this to all happen in one place. Cleaner, you see.”  
He made his way to a table on which a metallic toolbox sat open and waiting. He sifted through for a moment before coming out with a thin but decorative dagger. Zac’s eyes glued to it.  
“Kneel,” came the order.  
Zac closed his eyes, but managed to struggle up onto his knees. His eyes sprang open when he heard the man coming for him, flinching back when the dagger was used to cut through the gag.  
“Turn.”  
Zac looked up to make sure he knew what he wanted, before shifting so that he was facing the wall. The Texan knelt behind him and unlocked the padlock holding his cuffs together, letting Zac bring his hands to the front for the first in a long time. He quickly rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up more.  
“Come and kneel here,” the Texan instructed, stepping back over to the table.  
Zac obediently crawled to the mark, kneeling when he found it. Keeping his eyes to the ground he waited for the next instruction.  
“You did well,” the Texan began unexpectedly, making Zac look up, “with the note to your brother.”  
Zac wanted to point out that he’d only done it because of the threat to Taylor that had been hung over him, but he didn’t dare say a word unless expected to.  
“You’ve proven so far that your obedience has come a long way from that first day.”  
Zac had to force himself not to smirk. It had taken two of them to take him down, with a knife injury to his arm, and a sedative on top of that.  
The Texan stepped over to him and handed him a small blue pill. When Zac saw what it was, he took it gratefully and downed it straight away. The Texan smiled before replacing the bottle cap.  
“Continue on this path and I promise we won’t have any more ‘mishaps’ with these,” he assured.


	41. 41

“We need to tell Davison.”  
Isaac looked up as Rick’s voice snapped him out of a trance.  
“What?”  
“We need to tell Davison,” he insisted, “about the note.”  
Isaac shook his head almost absently.  
“I don’t know.”  
“But it’s a huge clue to where they might have gone!” Rick was having trouble keeping his voice down.  
He glanced over his shoulder at where Davison and Gorman were conversing on the other side of the office.  
“Look. We know that at least someone involved is going to be there at that specific time,” Rick amended in a softer tone, “we need to have three backup plans in place by then. Not to mention, you know, a plan to begin with.”  
“I know,” Isaac rubbed his face tiredly, “but really all I want to do right now is head to Austin.”  
“I don’t blame you,” Rick frowned, “so let’s tell Davison and get a team to take us down there.”  
“I don’t want anyone else to die because of us,” Isaac leant his head in his hand, his elbow on the desk.  
“Because of you?” Rick’s eyebrows rose, “Ike, they’re dying because of Krüger, not you. Krüger’s the one killing everyone just to get his hands on your brothers.”  
“It’s not just Krüger,” Isaac shook his head, “although I am wondering what makes them so damn special that he’d go to all the trouble.”  
“What do you mean, not just him?” Rick leant over the desk a little, eyes showing how tired he was.  
“This goes back to day one,” Isaac looked him in the eye, “at least six or seven people were killed when Bernard took Taylor. That’s what started this whole thing.”  
“Ike can you cram your survivor’s guilt for a moment and focus?” Rick scorned.  
“Survivor’s guilt?” Isaac frowned.  
“Yes, Ike. We see it all the time,” Rick shook his head, “people wondering why they’re still here while others aren’t. It’s a completely natural and common feeling. You can get help for that. But right now we need to focus on this.”  
He tapped the desk with his index finger.  
“And we need to focus on getting your brothers back from Krüger. We can’t do that alone.”  
Isaac hesitated thoughtfully, eyes across the room to Davison and Gorman.  
“I want to talk to Nate,” he announced suddenly.  
“What?!”  
The exclamation from Rick caught the attention of the other two.  
“Ike, no! What could you possibly-“  
“He knows Krüger better than any one of us still on the case,” Isaac looked between the three as Davison and Gorman made their way over, “and if he knows something about this, he’s not going to tell just anyone about it.”  
“What are you talking about, Isaac?” Davison asked suspiciously.  
“He wants to see Nate,” Rick turned to them.  
“Nathan Devereux?” Gorman frowned, “the Nathan Devereux in ADMAX?”  
“If anyone knows something about Krüger, it’s going to be him,” Isaac insisted.


	42. 42

Isaac yawned as he watched Gorman pacing in front of him. He’d been on the phone to Washington and Colorado for what seemed like hours trying to get some clearance to go across to ADMAX.  
“I think they’re going to need a better reason than ‘we think he knows something’,” Rick said after a time.  
“I know he knows something,” Isaac spared him a glance.  
“They’ll probably want something better than that too.”  
“So maybe I’ll hint about Austin.”  
Rick gave him an incredulous look.  
“Ike it’s all or nothing. Do you want to end up in interrogation?”  
“It’s not like I haven’t been there before,” Isaac smirked.  
Rick rolled his eyes as Gorman ended his latest call.  
“Okay boys,” he stepped over to them, “we may have a bit of lenience with Washington. They’re putting in a call to Colorado as we speak.”  
“Which means…?” Isaac raised an eyebrow.  
“It means maybe, Isaac. Don’t get your hopes up just yet.”  
Isaac sighed and sat back in his seat.  
“It’s getting late,” Rick indicated the window showing how dark it was outside, “maybe we should call it a night?”  
“When do you think you’ll hear back?” Isaac clasped his hands in his lap as he looked up at Gorman.  
“They’re calling now. Depends if anyone wants to pick up,” Gorman shrugged.  
The three of them looked up as Davison made his way into the room, arms full with a small shipping crate.  
“ODT tapes,” he announced, “for the last few days. Focused from Tulsa International.”  
“You’re going over them now?” Rick raised an eyebrow.  
“Wish I could boys, but I need some sleep,” Davison shook his head.  
“We all do,” Gorman insisted, “you should head off now. We’ll see you in the morning.”  
“I’ll be back on it first thing,” Davison patted the top of the box where he’d set it on the table.  
“We believe you,” Isaac nodded, “goodnight.”  
“’Night boys,” Davison gave a wave before disappearing again.  
Gorman’s phone rang.  
“Gorman,” he answered before a long pause, “yes I understand. We’ve been over this.”  
Isaac looked across at Rick as he stood, indicating that he was ready to leave too. Isaac gave him a nod before turning his attention back to the phone conversation.  
“This is coming from ADMAX, right?” Gorman sounded frustrated, “of course they are. But I don’t see why we need- Are you sure?”  
Rick made his way to the doorway to wait as Isaac obviously wasn’t leaving before the climax.  
“Alright. I’ll pass that on. No, no, I’m sure we’ll work something out. I’ll hear from you in the morning.”  
When he finally ended the call, he looked up to see Isaac’s expectant expression.  
“They need to ask permission,” Gorman shrugged.  
“Who?” Isaac frowned.  
“ADMAX. They’re going to ask Nathan if he’d like to speak to us. If he doesn’t…”  
“You’re kidding,” Rick scowled as Isaac just rolled his eyes.


	43. 43

Taylor jumped when he heard the door opening. He hadn’t heard any footsteps or any other sign that someone had been there, and when the door did finally open he took note of the soundproofing.  
The Texan stepped in and closed the door behind him.  
“Out,” he ordered.  
Taylor frowned, confused for a moment, before realising he wanted him out of the chair. Silently he slid out and stepped aside.  
The Texan took his place in the chair before indicating the floor in front of it.  
“Kneel.”  
Taylor’s expression darkened.  
“No,” he said simply, “I’m not kneeling for you. You’re not my Master.”  
The Texan’s expression didn’t change, he just stared at Taylor considering. After a long moment of silence, he pulled a silver pistol from his belt and rested it on the arm of the chair. Keeping his eye on Taylor, he leant back a little.  
“Do you recognise this?” he asked.  
Taylor had recognised the gun the moment he’d laid eyes on it. It was the same one used in his training sessions.  
There was another long pause before the Texan continued.  
“Approximately an hour ago, 353 was reborn.”  
The nausea hit Taylor like a brick wall. He covered his mouth with his hand and took a few steps back, turning away from the Texan. His last conversation with his brother where he’d told him to give in to them replaying over and over in his head.  
“It is what you wanted, isn’t it?”  
Taylor looked back over his shoulder, now worrying that the man could somehow read his mind.  
“But pray tell… why you don’t believe this to be the best course of action for yourself?”  
“Zac has somewhere to go,” Taylor’s voice croaked, “I don’t.”  
“This is true, you’ve reached the end of your line,” the Texan seemed to consider as he picked up the gun again, “and yet the conformity you exhibited last year seems to have evaded you. I wonder why that is?”  
Taylor knew why, but he wasn’t game enough to say it aloud.  
“I wonder… if it has anything to do with your other brother? The one who joined us in Tampico?”  
“Get out of my head,” Taylor whispered to himself, closing his eyes and putting his head in his hands.  
He heard a throaty chuckle from the Texan’s direction.  
“I doubt you need to concern yourself with him for much longer.”  
“He’s going to find us,” Taylor dropped his hands, daring to look the man in the eye once again, “he always finds us. He was close yesterday and he’ll find us again.”  
“Perhaps that’s what I want?”  
“What?” Taylor’s eyes narrowed, “what do you mean?”  
The Texan seemed to look amused, before he slowly stood from the chair. Taylor backed off.  
“Perhaps I want him to come for you,” he went on, “because just maybe… he’s one of very few left who possibly _could_ find you.”  
He used his free hand to reach into his jacket and pull out a black and white photograph. With a flick of his wrist, it was on the floor at Taylor’s feet.


	44. 44

Taylor kept his eyes planted on the Texan as he stooped to retrieve the photo. As he took it in and realised what it showed, he dropped it just as fast.  
“No,” he breathed, backing off into the side wall, “no… you didn’t.”  
“Not me personally,” the Texan relented, “I’m told at minimum three or four agents working your case passed in the tragedy.”  
Taylor bit into his fist as he tried to pull himself together. Isaac had been in the foreground of the photo looking back over his shoulder, away from the smouldering wreck that had once been the Tulsa police headquarters. So he at least knew that he was okay.  
“Why?” Taylor looked up again, a different kind of fear in his eyes.  
“You know, I keep asking myself the same question,” the Texan mused, absently clicking the gun from safety, “only the full question is ‘why won’t he kneel?’”  
He aimed and fired. As the gunshot rang out Taylor yelled out, falling back against the wall and dropping to the ground. A red patch quickly formed on his jeans as his hands grabbed for his calf.  
Distracted by the shock and the pain, he didn’t see the Texan step over to the door and knock sharply. A moment later the man who’d driven them there appeared in the doorway carrying a duffel bag.  
“What we have here is a misunderstanding in relation to degree of self-control,” the Texan’s voice rose to be heard over Taylor’s grunts and groans.  
He opened his eyes long enough to see the lackey open the bag and pull out what looked like a white jacket.  
“For example, you appear to think that you have some.”  
“You don’t control me,” Taylor said through clenched teeth as the Texan knelt in front of him.  
“Then my job becomes to change your mind.”  
Taylor yelled out again as the Texan took hold of the chain and wrapped it around his ankles, pulling his legs out from under him as the other man made his way over. When Taylor saw what he had his eyes widened and his hands flew up to defend himself.  
“NO!” he yelled, struggling to block the punch the man was trying to land.  
He eventually grabbed Taylor’s wrist and twisted it out of the way, eventually sliding his arm into the jacket. Taylor fought back as best he could with his left hand but it soon suffered the same fate. As the Texan secured a padlock onto his ankles the other man fastened the straps down the back of the straight jacket. The Texan finished before his helper and stood, indicating the ceiling. When Taylor followed their eye line he saw a similar ring bolt in the ceiling to the one in the floor.  
“No, no!” he insisted as the lackey dragged him by the jacket to the centre of the floor.  
The Texan rifled through the duffel as the lackey stood on the chair, using the height to secure the chain through the ringbolt. When the Texan passed him a heavy padlock he clenched it between his teeth before pulling his weight on the chain.  
Taylor was lifted into the air by his ankles. Once his head was a few feet from the ground the padlock secured the chain to the ringbolt holding him steady. Groaning at the pain in his leg, he didn’t see what else the Texan had pulled from the bag until the ball gag was secured around his head.  
“Like I said, self-control,” he said calmly, kneeling to Taylor’s eye level, “it’s almost liberating, isn’t it? When you have none. You can’t soothe your wound, you can’t even scratch your nose. And soon the blood rushing to your head will cause you to fall unconscious. Try to control that, won’t you?”  
Taylor’s eyes began to water both from the pain and realisation as he heard them leaving the room.


	45. 45

As Taylor struggled for all he was worth against his bonds, Zac meanwhile managed to catch up on some much-needed sleep on the floor of the basement. This was barely an hour or two before sunrise, when Isaac awoke to a phone call from Gorman.  
“Yeah?”  
“Isaac it’s Gorman. We got the call from Colorado a few minutes ago. Now, Nate’s agreed to an interview… but he’ll only talk to you.”  
Isaac closed his eyes with a sigh as he rolled over in bed.  
“Why am I not surprised?”  
“Sorry?”  
“Never mind. When is it happening?”  
“Earliest we could get you in is tomorrow morning,” Gorman sounded reluctant, “but it’ll be a ten hour drive so Davison wants to leave this morning and spend the night in Colorado.”  
Isaac paused to let it sink in, then rubbed his face tiredly as he considered.  
“Davison’s coming?” he asked.  
“We’ll send you two across. I’ll need to stay here with the remaining New York Feds and continue tracking the Mercedes from the airport.”  
“What about Rick?”  
“He can stay here with us if he needs to feel useful.”  
Isaac sighed again.  
“You’re not worried that the same thing will happen to you guys?” he asked finally, scratching his chin.  
“We’ve got this place pretty well locked down,” Gorman assured, “don’t you worry about us. Meet Davison here in the next hour or so and you two can make way.”  
“See you then,” Isaac hung up.

*

By the time Isaac got to the station, Davison was ready to go.  
“What’s the plan?” Isaac asked upon sight of him.  
“We’ll head for Florence and stay in town. Better not to choose a place too early,” his meaning was obvious, “first thing tomorrow we’ll head in.”  
“Sounds great,” Isaac sounded anything but enthusiastic as Gorman appeared from the corridor.  
“You boys off?”  
“Just about,” Davison reached over to shake his hand, “good luck here.”  
“We’ll handle it. And let you know if we find the Mercedes,” Gorman assured.  
“Thanks for that,” Isaac also shook his hand, “anyone heard from Rick?”  
“He called earlier. He’s going to take the day off while you two hit the road,” Gorman replied.  
“Probably for the best,” Isaac amended.  
“Ready?” Davison slung a backpack over his shoulder.  
“As I’ll ever be,” Isaac shrugged, collecting his suitcase.  
“Be careful,” Gorman insisted as the two headed for the door.  
“Always are,” Davison assured.  
They made their way out to Davison’s squad car and began the long trek to Florence. Conversation was minimal as they both ran over what Nate would be willing to say. If he’d specifically asked for Isaac – even though he’d initiated the meeting – something must have been up.


	46. 46

Taylor was drifting in and out of consciousness and barely able to discern when the door finally opened again. He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but it had felt like forever.  
Someone grabbed the jacket to pull him sideways as he felt the pull on his ankles release and he suddenly hit the ground. Barely able to make a sound through the fog in his head, he forced his eyes open as the gag was removed in time to see the Texan looking down on him.  
“That’ll do for now,” he saw him nod, the second person leaving the room.  
Despite his inability to move, Taylor could still feel the chains around his ankles. He closed his eyes again as feeling slowly returned to his extremities and his head finally became a little clearer. He wasn’t sure how long this took either, but the Texan waited patiently and in silence.  
As he evidently grew more alert, the Texan shifted in his seat.  
“How is that sense of control working for you now?” he asked.  
Taylor looked up at him silently and without moving his head, wishing he could stop his heart from racing as bad as it was. His face was still flushed red and he wasn’t breathing properly.  
“Perhaps you’re feeling as if I’m not spending enough time with you?” the Texan began again, standing from the chair and taking the two steps he could toward where Taylor lay.  
He knelt beside his head before snaking his fingers through Taylor’s hair and pulling his head up. Taylor clenched his teeth, trying not to make a sound.  
“Trust me when I say we will be spending plenty of time together over the coming months,” the Texan assured, “years, even. And while the contract for 353 isn’t due for another week or so, rest assured I need to spend far less time with him than I do you. Do you understand?”  
Taylor was struggling under the pull of his hair to wriggle forward and alleviate the pressure. The Texan continued to pull, not letting him get away with it. With a sudden clench he pulled harder.  
“Do you understand?” he repeated.  
“Yes I understand,” Taylor choked out.  
“You know that’s not what I want to hear.”  
Taylor cringed, squeezing his eyes shut as the Texan pulled tighter on his hair.  
“No! No,” Taylor cried, the pain in his leg shooting through him again as he moved.  
“Still ‘no’?” the Texan seemed to humour him, “we’ll see about that when your leg gets infected. Slaves don’t see hospitals, you see. You may end up losing it.”  
Taylor cried out again as the man finally let him go, and he collapsed down onto his side burying his face in the carpet. He heard him shifting before he unexpectedly grabbed Taylor’s leg and forced his thumb into the bloody wound.  
“Do you understand?!” he repeated, louder over Taylor’s yells.  
Taylor squirmed under him, the pain reaching an unbearable stage.  
“YES!” he yelled finally, “yes Master!”  
He felt the Texan let his leg go, squeezing his eyes open again enough to see him stand up.  
“Good boy,” he said in his usual condescending tone.  
Taylor kept his eyes open as he panted, watching as the man stepped over to the door.  
“I’ll have Charlie see to that leg this morning.”  
He opened the door and stepped through, Taylor hearing the lock close securely behind him. Once he was gone he rolled over onto his back and coughed, trying to bring his knees in to his chest without hurting the leg too much. As he glanced to the side he saw a hole in the wall surrounded by blood spatter where the bullet must have gone through, gladly realising it wasn’t still in his leg.


	47. 47

By the time the door opened again Taylor was a lot more awake. Having had the time to recover from the vertical suspension, he managed to focus on his injury and tried to keep his leg elevated by resting his feet on the footrest of the chair.  
When he saw that it was Charlie entering he managed to calm himself.  
“The Master is pleased,” Charlie began as he set a bag down by the chair.  
He opened it and pulled out some scissors, cloth and a bottle and set them on the chair.  
“I didn’t want to,” Taylor stared at the bolt in the ceiling, not moving from his back.  
Charlie didn’t respond to that as he knelt down beside him. Taylor felt him try to roll the leg of his jeans up before giving in and simply cutting that part of the leg off. Taylor hissed through his teeth as the material was pulled away from the wound, sticking to blood that had already partially dried.  
“The bullet’s not in there,” Taylor felt the need to inform him as he started panting again.  
“I can see that,” Charlie assured as he carefully pulled the denim away from the opposite wound.  
Taylor held himself back from asking Charlie to unchain his ankles, knowing that if he could he probably would have done it already. He took a deep breath and held it as long as he could as he felt the elder man clean around the wound and begin to painfully disinfect it before covering it as best he could with a bandage. The same was done to both sides where the bullet had pierced, before a larger bandage circled his leg.  
When he felt Charlie finishing up, Taylor finally made eye contact with him.  
“Thank you,” he said softly.  
“You will learn to do this soon enough,” Charlie responded as he began to pack up.  
Taylor returned his eyes to the ceiling as he tried to move his hands inside the jacket.  
“How long is he going to do this for?” he asked.  
“As long as he wishes.”  
Charlie zipped the bag up before standing again.  
“You know him,” Taylor began again, “you know what he’s like. How long is it gonna go on before he gives up and kills me?”  
Charlie turned back to him, a little startled.  
“I do not believe he will.”  
“You don’t?” Taylor looked up incredulously, “he almost killed me today.”  
“The Master has been in this line of work a long time,” Charlie lifted the bag and took a couple of steps toward the door, “he knows the limitations of the human body. As well as the mind.”  
Taylor hesitated thoughtfully, before looking up just as Charlie was stepping through the door.  
“Charlie?” he caught his attention, “is my brother okay? Can you tell me if my brother’s okay?”  
“Your brother is conforming to schedule,” Charlie relented, before making to step out again.  
“No,” Taylor called him back, “not him. My other brother. Isaac.”  
Charlie hesitated, before looking to Taylor in confusion.  
“He said that he wants him to find me,” Taylor’s voice was getting shaky, “why would he say that? Do you know what he’s planning? Has he said anything to you? Around you?”  
Charlie stopped to think for a moment, before shaking his head slowly.  
“I am sorry, he has not. I do not know.”  
He finally disappeared, closing and locking the door behind him. Taylor lay his head back down onto the carpet as his mind once again raced, trying to figure out the endgame.   
And how Isaac could possibly fit into it.


	48. 48

Zac’s eyes fluttered open when he heard the door to the basement being unlocked. He quickly pulled himself back onto his knees where he’d been laying in the middle of the floor just in time for the Texan to walk in, followed by a younger man in a grey suit holding a clipboard. Zac frowned as he recognised his face, not sure where he knew him from.  
“This is 353?” the younger man indicated Zac as the Texan closed the door behind them.  
“In the flesh,” the Texan mused.  
They both stood in front of him in silence for a moment, Zac very much feeling like a goldfish in a bowl.  
“He looks different.”  
“His hair is longer and he’s put on a bit of weight since last time, that’s all,” the Texan assured, taking the clipboard and beginning to read down it.  
Zac gulped a little as he suddenly realised where he knew the man from. He’d been the one organising the sales at the hole. The last time Zac had seen him, he’d been presenting him to the woman who’d taken Taylor.  
“So how long is he going to take?”  
“Only another week or so.”  
Zac looked between them, wondering what else he could possibly need to do to prove himself.  
The Texan signed something at the bottom of the second page before handing the board back.  
“Guaranteed?”  
“Guaranteed,” he nodded, “just a few more basics to impart and we’re done here.”  
The salesman nodded.  
“And the health issues?”  
“Contained,” the Texan took the bottle of pills from his jacket and rattled it, “as long as he gets one of these once a day he’s good to go.”  
The salesman wrote down the note before giving him a nod.  
“I’ll make sure our bidders are notified. There was quite some interest in this one last time.”  
“I remember,” the Texan agreed.  
Zac remembered too.  
“Is that all?” his eyebrows rose.  
“That’s it. Just a standard check-up,” the salesman shrugged, “you left Tulsa pretty quickly. Our superiors were a little worried.”  
“Just cleaning up after myself,” the Texan shrugged off.  
“Cleaning up?” the man’s eyebrows rose, “you left quite a mess behind. Not to mention a trail of dead cops.”  
Zac flinched. The Texan noticed. With a sigh he took the salesman’s arm and led him to the door, taking him outside.  
“How many times do I have to specify that no outside data is to be discussed in front of the subjects?” he said on his way out.  
Zac couldn’t help himself. He was on his feet in an instant and listening in at the door.  
“I’m sorry, but they’re not happy,” he heard the salesman continue, “some of those cops were DC.”  
“You don’t think I knew that? They were working the Waco case. They were getting too close.”  
“So you took it upon yourself to eliminate them?”  
“I don’t see anyone else stepping up to contain this mess, do you?”


	49. 49

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! We already had a task force on the case. I’m pretty sure you just tripled their interest.”  
“’Pretty sure’ I just gave them pause,” Zac could hear the Texan’s voice clearly beyond the door, “not to mention the grunts from Tulsa seem to have backed off.”  
“What’s this I hear about a civilian getting involved? Keeping the cops on their toes?”  
“The brother of these two. Don’t worry, I’m handling it.”  
Zac’s breath caught in his throat, registering the reference to Isaac.  
“Like you handled the cops in Oklahoma?”  
“Like I said, don’t worry. I’ve organised a meeting with him. I will handle him, and I will handle those who are helping him. Now if you’ll excuse me…”  
Zac flinched back from the door as he heard the Texan grab the door handle, skidding back down into place on his knees before the door opened again. Shaking the hair out of his eyes he tried to keep a blank expression on his face. It was hard considering what he’d heard.  
“We’ll be in touch,” the salesman insisted as the Texan closed the door behind himself.  
“You’d do best to forget what you just heard,” the Texan insisted, making his way over to the table and picking up a knife covered in dried blood, “or do you need some encouragement?”  
“No Master,” Zac assured, shaking his head earnestly.  
“Good.”  
He returned the knife to the table and Zac sighed thankfully.  
“Now. As of tomorrow you’ll be joining me in my home,” the Texan began, making Zac give him a curious look.  
“I will – formally – introduce you to Charlie, and you’ll learn everything you need to know from him. If you pass these last few trials we will send you on your way. Understand?”  
Zac hesitated, not sure but not wanting to anger him.  
“Sorry Master, but no.”  
“What don’t you understand?” the man frowned, leaning back against the table.  
“Um… trials?” Zac asked cautiously, “what trials?”  
“They sound worse than they are, I assure you,” the Texan brushed off, “I will simply introduce you to your new way of life in a very preliminary state. Of course we cannot prepare you for everything, every household is different, but we will endeavour to give you the basic skill set that you will need going forth.”  
Zac nodded, eyes searching the ground as he processed it. That didn’t sound too bad.  
“For tonight you’ll remain here,” the Texan stated as he pulled the bottle of pills from his jacket again and opened it, “but we’ll start at first light.”  
He stepped forward and handed Zac one of the small pills. Zac took it gratefully, downing it straight away.  
Once that was done the Texan made to leave the room. Zac waited until he was out of sight before pulling himself to his feet as the door closed. He made his way over and listened to the man’s footsteps dying out, before turning his back to the door and leaning against it.  
“Ike what are you doing?” he asked himself, eyes to the ceiling.  
He kept running Taylor’s words over and over in his head. It was practically the only thing keeping him sane. Isaac would find them, he always did.  
But Isaac hadn’t contended with this guy before, and he knew it.


	50. 50

“Ready for this?” Davison asked, a hand on Isaac’s shoulder.  
“No,” Isaac admitted.  
They heard a buzzing sound which signalled the door unlocking.  
“Just remember, we’re right on the other side of this door,” Davison assured, indicating himself and a nearby prison officer, “just call if you need us.”  
“I will,” Isaac nodded.  
“Go ahead,” a guard held the door open for him.  
Isaac gave Davison one last glance before stepping through. As he waited for the door to close behind him, he took in the room. It was lit with bright fluorescents, but the walls were a dull grey. In the centre of the small room was a single table with two chairs, one of them already occupied by the prisoner in cuffs. Nate.  
“Isaac!” he greeted cheerily, “take a seat old friend!”  
Isaac looked back over his shoulder at the door before cautiously stepping forward and pulling the chair back a little.  
“Nate,” he responded flatly, sitting down.  
“There’s no need to be like that,” Nate mused, clasping his hands and tilting his head slightly, “it’s good to see you. How are your brothers, may I ask?”  
Isaac’s eyes narrowed. Nate caught the look.  
“Or is that why you’re here?” he looked toward the door himself.  
“What do you know about it?” Isaac demanded, “and why did you ask for me?”  
“Isn’t it obvious why I asked for you?” Nate seemed surprised.  
“No. Enlighten me,” Isaac held firm.  
Nate leant forward slightly, an amused glint in his eye.  
“Because you’re the only one left.”  
Isaac immediately stood from his chair.  
“What do you know?!” he demanded, “where are they?!”  
Nate broke into a laugh and sat back in his seat.  
“I don’t know where they are,” he shook his head.  
“No but you know something,” Isaac insisted, “it’s time to let us in on the secret, Nate. What’s going on?”  
Nate seemed to consider his words as he paused for thought, but he didn’t lose the look in his eye.  
“Whatever happened to all those people you helped rescue in Waco?” he asked suddenly.  
“Excuse me?” Isaac frowned.  
“The survivors, didn’t you call them?” Nate slowly leant forward again, “I wonder… have you heard from any of them recently? Do they keep in contact with their heroes? Did you get any Christmas cards?”  
“What are you trying to say?” Isaac was already fed up, “just come out with it already!”  
“No, Isaac,” Nate’s voice lowered forcefully, “you will listen to me, and you will listen carefully. Sit down.”  
Isaac stood still for a moment, but knew he wouldn’t get anything out of him if he didn’t comply.  
“Thank you,” Nate nodded, “now. The Waco survivors. Have you heard from any of them?”  
“No we haven’t,” Isaac shrugged, “but why-“  
“Don’t you think that’s a little odd?” Nate raised an eyebrow, “you kept in touch with Astley, right?”


	51. 51

“I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” Isaac frowned.  
“ _Think_ , Isaac,” Nate was getting frustrated, “of all those people, not one of them bothered to say thank you?”  
Isaac hesitated as he thought back to the raid. The people he’d seen had been dirty and ragged, much like Zac had looked when he’d emerged. He didn’t think he’d even recognise any of them.  
“No,” he said finally, “they didn’t.”  
“Do you want to know why?” Nate seemed to offer.  
“Why?” Isaac dared to ask.  
“Because ninety per cent of them would be dead already.”  
Isaac’s face lost a little colour and he turned to look over his shoulder.  
“That’s not a threat, Isaac,” Nate scorned, “it’s a fact. Once you enter that program there is no turning back. They make it their business to find you and keep you.”  
“What are you saying?” Isaac shook his head incredulously, “that they hunted those people down and killed them because they escaped?”  
“Pretty sure that’s exactly what it sounded like,” Nate looked confused, “I mean feel free to look them up if you don’t believe me, but I doubt they’ll let me have another visitor for a while if you feel the need to come back. They’re pretty big on the whole solitary confinement thing here.”  
Isaac rubbed his face, trying to pull himself together.  
“Say I believe you,” his eyes narrowed again, “what about the other ten per cent?”  
“They’d be the ones who already had homes waiting for them,” Nate shrugged, “the ones who had been sold already. Like our favourite.”  
“Favourite?” Isaac was confused.  
Nate’s eyes lowered to the table as a wistful look crossed his face.  
“Tell me Isaac, how was your brother doing before they took him back?” he asked without looking up, “did he still look over his shoulder? Does he still wait for you to start the conversation?”  
“He took out an armed robber without a second thought just a few days before,” Isaac tried not to let Nate get to him, but it was hard.  
“Ah, the influence of the Mexicans,” Nate pulled a face, “I never did appreciate their violent lives.”  
“You cable-tied my brother’s throat,” Isaac said between his teeth.  
“Oh that,” Nate scoffed, “he knows I didn’t mean it. I was upset.”  
“You could have killed him!”  
“He could have killed me,” Nate looked him in the eye again.  
He paused, looking Isaac over consideringly.  
“Why are you here, Isaac?”  
“I’m here because I want to find my brothers,” he clenched his jaw.  
“That’s not the only reason,” Nate mused slightly, “did you expect closure or some such? By looking me in the eye? Knowing what I did to both of your brothers, and how easily you could have stopped me?”  
“Are you going to give me something to work with, or not?” Isaac gave the ultimatum.  
“Not,” Nate replied flatly, “I’ve already given you too much.”  
“Then we’re done here,” Isaac stood to leave.  
“If you do find Taylor,” Nate called after him, “be sure to tell him I said hello.”  
Isaac ignored him as he quickly left the room and closed the door tightly behind him.


	52. 52

Sometime in the morning Zac looked up to see the basement door opening. A man he’d seen only twice before – once at the studio when he was taken and once when he’d woken up in the car on the way here – entered cautiously, the Texan flanking him.  
“353, this is Charlie,” he introduced.  
Zac took note that he didn’t bother closing the door behind him. Charlie nodded in greeting as Zac looked between them.  
“He’ll be your mentor for the coming few days. On your feet.”  
Zac didn’t hesitate but immediately pulled himself up. The Texan stepped forward and secured the cuffs on his wrists.  
“Follow him,” he instructed before stepping aside.  
Zac looked to Charlie who made silent eye contact before stepping through the door. He spared the Texan a glance as if to double check, before cautiously following the older man out.  
Jumping when he heard the Texan close the door behind them, Zac followed Charlie up a set of stairs and into what appeared to be the main house. He suddenly felt very out of place among the elegant furnishings, knowing that dirty didn’t begin to cover what he looked like.  
They came to what appeared to be a main stairwell and Charlie paused at the bottom to turn to his master.  
“Get him cleaned up,” the Texan ordered, “I have other business to tend to. I’ll see you for dinner.”  
Charlie nodded as the Texan handed Charlie a key and took his leave, disappearing down a hallway to the left. Zac watched him go before Charlie caught his attention by clearing his throat, and began leading him upstairs. Zac couldn’t think of a time in his life where he’d been more glad to see a bathroom.  
“There is a change of clothes in there for you,” Charlie instructed as he unlocked the cuffs again before standing by the door to wait for Zac to go by, “do not be long.”  
Zac nodded, unsure of how to address Charlie if he had to answer him. He stepped through and waited as the door was closed behind him before darting over to the basin and running the water, using it to scrub his face clean.  
When he was done he looked to the side where he saw the change of clothes sitting. They were similar to those that Charlie wore, but a slightly larger size.   
“What the Hell?” he whispered to himself, leaning his forehead onto the basin to gather his thoughts.  
Knowing he couldn’t take too long he quickly took a moment to study the collar in the mirror. Like the cuffs on his wrists, he couldn’t see a way to get it off. With a grimace he gave up for what he felt must be the hundredth time before stepping over to the shower and turning it on.  
After quickly washing himself and his hair, and getting changed into the new clothes, he tried to dry his hair off as best he could before stepping over to the door and opening it. He saw Charlie jump on the other side.  
“Sorry,” he apologised straight away.  
Charlie didn’t respond, but took in Zac’s soaked leathers.  
“Those will need to be replaced,” he indicated the collar and cuffs, “follow me.”  
Zac left the towel in the bathroom before closing the door behind him and following Charlie down the hall. They came to what must have been the master bedroom, and Zac paused in the doorway awkwardly while Charlie made his way to a cabinet to fetch him some replacement cuffs.


	53. 53

Taylor jumped as he heard the door opening again, and felt his heart begin to race again when he saw who it was.  
The Texan closed the door behind him and stepped over to look down on where he still lay.  
“Feeling better, I presume?”  
Taylor refused to make eye contact with him, keeping his gaze to the ceiling and the hook he’d been suspended from. The Texan waited to see if he’d respond, and when he didn’t he knelt down beside him. Taylor instantly tried to wriggle away from him in case he was going for his hair again, but couldn’t make it far enough before the Texan grabbed the jacket and slid him back beside him.  
Taylor groaned and closed his eyes as the Texan sat on the floor beside his head.  
“I think we need a little time to talk,” he began, his tone making Taylor look up.  
When he saw him reaching for his head, he quickly turned away and closed his eyes. When he felt the Texan simply run his fingers through his hair gently he groaned again, this time in fear.  
“Is it so bad that I don’t want you to hurt anymore?” the man said cryptically, “you remember, don’t you? How the level of docility is in direct correlation to the level of discomfort you experience?”  
Taylor was trying to ignore his words, but failing. He flinched when the man’s fingers took a grip on his hair – though not as tight as he had before.  
“Are you listening to me, 352?”  
“What are you going to do with my brother?” Taylor forced out, keeping his head turned away, “you said you wanted him to find us. Why?”  
“That was a question, not an answer,” Taylor cringed as the grip in his hair tightened, “do we really need to go over this again? You are severely disappointing me.”  
When Taylor failed to respond again, the Texan pulled him up by the hair so that Taylor had to lean on his knee. When Taylor realised where he was he started shaking involuntarily.  
“Let me go,” he breathed, eyes darting anywhere but up.  
“No,” the Texan replied simply, “we still seem to have some issues in relation to control to address.”  
Taylor’s eyes shot to the right when he saw something reflecting the light. When he saw the dagger the man held he began struggling against the jacket again, but the Texan held his head firm in his other hand. When he realised he couldn’t get away Taylor groaned again when he felt the dagger trace the edge of his collar.  
“I wonder what it will take for you to realise…” he drawled as the dagger moved, “that I could do anything I wanted to your body right now, and there’d be nothing you could to do stop me. Including creating a tiny slit right here…”  
The tip of the dagger pressed against his throat.  
“…Straight through to your jugular.”  
Taylor squeezed his eyes shut again as they began to water.  
“It may take some further discipline for you to really relinquish the control you seem to have regained, but let’s cut to the chase, shall we? You have something that you lacked last time.”  
Taylor wanted to ask what, but was afraid the blade would cut his throat if he spoke.  
“Anger,” the Texan supplied for him, “perhaps once this anger is either vented or repressed, we’ll have a more successful union to work with. It’s a shame we can’t just dig in there and remove it.”  
Taylor breathed easier as the dagger was removed from his throat, but kept his eyes closed as he felt the tip at his temple.  
“But there are always other ways.”


	54. 54

Taylor grunted as his head hit the ground again when the Texan shifted down toward his legs. Watching to make sure he wasn’t going to use the dagger, he breathed a little easier when he saw the Texan reveal a key. He unlocked the padlock holding the chains on his ankles together before casting it aside and unwinding the chains single-handedly.  
“On your feet,” he ordered as he knelt to stand up.  
Not giving Taylor a chance to comply, he grabbed him by the jacket on the way up. Taylor stumbled as he found his footing, gingerly testing his weight on his injured leg.  
As Taylor caught his balance the Texan pulled the dagger again. Taylor’s eyes followed it as it moved across his chest.  
“Don’t tempt me to use this,” he warned.  
Taylor gulped slightly, wondering what he wanted. The man went to the door and opened it before coming back to take Taylor by the shoulder.  
“Come.”  
Taylor winced as he was made to walk on his wounded leg, the Texan leading him out of the room and down the hall slightly. They stopped two doors down where the Texan opened the door, pushing Taylor inside before switching on the lights. Taylor’s eyes immediately fell on the chair in the centre of the room. This one was covered with both leather and metallic restraints, and the floor surrounding it was covered in wiring. As the Texan closed the door behind them and made his way over to him, Taylor backed off.  
“No,” he shook his head desperately, “no! You can’t do that!”  
“We’re going to learn a little something about defiance today,” the Texan assured, grabbing the back of the jacket and half dragging him to the chair.  
Taylor was pushed into it heavily before a chain was secured across his chest to stop him from standing again. Unable to even push himself up without the use of his arms he couldn’t fight back as another three were crossed over him. As the Texan knelt to remove his shoes and secure his ankles, Taylor tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down.  
When the man was done he stood again, stepping aside to where a controller sat atop a nearby table.  
“Let’s do a test run, shall we?” he suggested as he moved back into Taylor’s eye line.  
Taylor watched as his thumb played over the switch tauntingly before he pressed down. He had to cry out as the electricity hit, hurting more around his ankles where the skin was bare than anywhere else. When the switch was flipped back he had to pant to catch his breath.  
“Now that we know the punishment for dissent,” the Texan began as if nothing had even happened, “let us work on your audible responses.”  
Taylor hit his head back against the chair, immediately knowing where this was going.  
“And let’s not forget the old rule of need to know. If you need to know something, you will be told. You are no longer authorised to ask your own questions. Do you understand?”  
Taylor began panting a bit heavier as he tried to work himself up. He didn’t have time to open his mouth before the electricity suddenly hit him again. Clenching his jaw he yelled out again.  
“You do remember that I’m not a fan of hesitation, correct?” the Texan stood directly in front of him, “so let’s try this again. Do you understand?”  
“Yes,” Taylor’s voice croaked as he felt his forehead beading sweat, “yes Master.”  
“Good boy.”


	55. 55

Zac looked up curiously as the lights in the kitchen flickered for a moment.  
“What was that?” he asked worriedly.  
When he turned back to Charlie he noticed the man’s shoulders hunched in slightly.  
“I hope that you will leave without ever having to find out,” the older man said softly before indicating for Zac to pass him a lettuce.  
Zac did so as he kept his eye on the light fixture, blinking as it flickered again.  
“So Charlie… I can call you Charlie, right?” he began with a bit of caution.  
“You may,” Charlie nodded as he went on with what he was doing.  
“How long have you worked for this guy?” Zac asked, turning his back and leaning against the counter, “I mean you’d know him pretty well, right? Better than anyone?”  
“I am not authorised to answer your questions if they do not pertain to the tasks at hand,” Charlie said with a little force.  
Zac had been afraid of that. As the lights flickered again he tried to work out another way to word it.  
“Are you paying attention?”  
Zac looked up as he was caught off guard.  
“Yeah, yeah sorry,” he shook his head, turning back around and trying to focus, “the kitchen’s really my brother’s forte more than mine.”  
He gulped slightly when he realised what he’d said, not noticing Charlie’s hesitation at the same remark.  
“But I’m trying,” he added as an afterthought.  
“Turn off the oven,” Charlie instructed.

*

“The sooner you realise that this is where the road ends, the sooner you can peacefully come to terms with your new life,” the Texan said amiably as he paced.  
Taylor was panting in front of him, sweat now leaving silvery trails down his face.  
“You should know after all, you’ve been here before.”  
“Not here,” Taylor panted.  
He yelled out as the shock hit him once more.  
“Speaking out of turn. We covered that already,” the man tutted.  
“You’re insinuating that you want a reply!” Taylor cried incredulously before the pain hit him again.  
“Answering back now? Really?” the Texan shook his head in disappointment, “I had hoped I’d trained you better than that.”  
Taylor took deep breaths, feeling his heart beating at an odd rhythm. He wasn’t sure how much more his body could take. When he felt he had it back to normal he made eye contact again.  
“Shall we continue?” the Texan’s eyebrows rose.  
Worried about replying now, Taylor didn’t even dare agree.  
His eyes followed the Texan as he began pacing across in front of him again.  
“What am I looking for, 352?”  
Taylor closed his eyes as he struggled with wording.  
“Obedience,” his voice finally shook.  
“There we go. That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now… what are you going to give me?”  
“Obedience,” Taylor replied again.  
“Good boy. Now let’s focus on our perspective once again…”


	56. 56

“Sure. Thanks for the heads up. We’ll head right for the station when we get back,” Davison ended the call with Gorman before hanging up.  
“How’d he go?” Isaac looked across expectantly.  
“He couldn’t trace them all. Most of them were vagrants, homeless… people you wouldn’t necessarily miss if you catch my drift,” Davison began, “but the ones he did manage to find have all been through the morgue.”  
Isaac cursed under his breath.  
“So he was telling the truth,” he said aloud.  
“Looks like. He’s going to keep on trying to track down the rest of them just in case we find some survivors, but it’s not looking good.”  
Isaac nodded as he stared out the window. He’d been debating since leaving Florence whether or not to tell Davison what he was working up the nerve to.  
“I should have said something earlier,” he began cautiously, making Davison glance across at him, “but they left me something at the airport.”  
“They?” Davison frowned, “who they?”  
“Krüger. And Zac.”  
Davison immediately put the brakes on. Stopping only to check that no one was behind them, he pulled onto the shoulder of the highway. Isaac winced a little as he turned the key off.  
“Start talking,” Davison demanded, full attention focused.  
Isaac sighed and scratched at an eyebrow.  
“When I found Zac’s ring, there was a note underneath it,” he admitted, “addressed to me.”  
“Why didn’t you turn it in?” Davison frowned, “for one that’s withholding evidence. For another, you don’t know what forensics could have gotten from it-“  
“Nothing, it was in Zac’s handwriting,” Isaac assured, “Krüger has set up a meeting.”  
“A meeting?” Davison’s eyebrows rose.  
“He wants me to come alone. Day after tomorrow. It’s in Austin,” Isaac nodded.  
Davison paused as he processed what Isaac had kept from him. From them.  
“Okay…” he began carefully before taking a deep breath.  
“Well you’re not going alone, that’s for sure. Did the note say why?”  
“No,” Isaac shook his head, “I was going to try and get it out of Nate but we didn’t get that far.”  
Davison tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.  
“Look, I really don’t want to put you guys in danger,” Isaac insisted, “but I’m not planning to just waltz in there with my hands in the air saying ‘take me’ either.”  
“That’s the last thing we need,” Davison muttered, “does anyone else know about this?”  
“Rick knows a little,” Isaac shrugged, “I asked him to keep it quiet. The note warned no police.”  
“Of course it did,” Davison sighed.  
He absently started the car again and pulled back onto the highway.  
“When we get back to Gorman we’ll pull him aside. See if we can’t work something out,” he insisted, “we still have a few of the New Yorkers working with us. They might want in on it.”  
“I don’t mind having my own personal task force again, it worked for Tampico,” Isaac mused.  
“You may have to,” Davison glanced in the mirror, “I don’t see how else Gorman will let you go.”  
“If it’s the only way to find them, I have to go,” Isaac insisted, “no matter the danger.”  
“One thing at a time Isaac,” Davison insisted, “one thing at a time.”


	57. 57

Zac and Charlie waited patiently and in silence as the master ate his dinner, waiting to be called in to clear the table. When the call came, he called Charlie to his side.  
“See to it that 352 is fed tonight,” he said softly, though Zac’s ears perked up anyway, “he did well today. He is in room three.”  
“Yes Master,” Charlie nodded, fetching his empty plate as the man stood.  
Zac locked eyes with him for a split second before lowering them as he passed. Once he’d left the room, Zac checked over his shoulder.  
“Charlie is he talking about Taylor?” he asked barely above a whisper.  
Charlie put a finger to his lips as an indication to be quiet as he continued to clear the table. Zac grit his teeth in frustration, but began to help the man clean up.  
As Zac was set to work doing the dishes, Charlie put together a small plate of food and instructed Zac to continue with what he was doing. Then he disappeared with it. Zac waited until he was sure he was out of sight before stepping over to the doorway and taking a quick look down the hall. He was mindful that this was the first time he’d been ‘let loose’ in the house without supervision and he didn’t want to ruin his chances of ever having the opportunity again, but he also wasn’t sure how many opportunities he’d get.  
Not entirely sure which direction the master had gone, he tried to listen carefully for footsteps either coming or going. All he could hear were Charlie’s heading away.  
There were too many doorways for Zac to risk sneaking down the hall so he inched his way toward the nearest open door. Praying to himself that no one was in there he took a quick look through into what appeared to be a small study. There was certainly no one in the room, but something caught Zac’s eye regardless.  
A landline telephone sitting on the desk.  
Before he could make a beeline for it a shadow caught his eye from the other end of the hall. Seeing that it was growing in size and thus getting closer, he begrudgingly ducked back into the kitchen.

*

Taylor looked across at the door as he heard it opening. When he saw that it was Charlie he sighed in relief.  
Charlie closed the door behind him before setting the plate on the table beside the controller.  
“You’re bleeding,” was his introduction.  
Taylor frowned before realising he must have been talking about his leg.  
“I can’t see,” he said softly, leaning his head back against the chair as Charlie knelt in front of him.  
He felt him struggling with the bandage as he checked the wound over before carefully rewrapping it. He hissed through his teeth a couple of times at the pain, but it was really nothing compared to what he’d been put through in the past few hours.  
“I’ll need to bandage that again later tonight,” Charlie relented as he stood from his knees.  
Taylor watched as he stepped over to the table and used the knife and fork he’d brought with him to start cutting the meal into bite sized pieces.  
“He is pleased with you today,” he seemed to want to provoke conversation, which Taylor found odd.  
“I know,” Taylor tried to shift in his seat but could barely sit up straight.  
He welcomed the food as Charlie set to feeding him. About halfway he started feeling sick, but Charlie didn’t stop until it was all gone. After a drink of water to finish, Charlie quietly left.


	58. 58

Zac had almost finished by the time Charlie reappeared. He jumped when he realised he’d walked in behind him, not having heard him come in. His mind had been preoccupied with the study next door.  
“Are you done?” Charlie asked, bringing the empty plate over to the sink.  
“Almost,” Zac assured, taking it and washing it.  
“Good.”  
Zac gave him a glance as he began tidying up the kitchen behind him. When he finished up he took a nearby towel to start drying off, before starting to dry the dishes he’d washed.  
“Is he okay?” Zac felt the need to ask.  
Charlie looked up at him curiously. When he didn’t reply, Zac stopped himself rolling his eyes.  
“Taylor. Is he okay?” he clarified.  
Charlie hesitated, but continued with his clean up without saying a word. Zac waited, watching him, but soon got back to drying the dishes. He hoped the lack of response wasn’t because Charlie was holding off on a negative answer.  
When the two were done Charlie led Zac out into the main foyer and toward the staircase. Upstairs they headed for the master bedroom, and Zac soon realised that he at least would be retiring for the night. He froze in the middle of the floor when he saw the long chain attached to one of the bed posts, an open padlock sitting at the end.  
“The bathroom,” Charlie indicated, motioning for Zac to go inside.  
Zac ground his teeth nervously before heading in and going about his business. When he emerged Charlie beckoned him to the chain, soon attaching it to his collar. Task completed he went about his usual night chores, laying out the master’s clothes and dimming the lights while making sure everything was perfect. Zac watched him silently from where he sat on the floor, taking note of how precarious he was with everything.  
“I will return shortly,” he soon announced, after fetching a small bag from the restraint closet.  
Zac didn’t reply as he left, but as soon as he was out of sight he began feeling out the chain. It was obvious that he’d be expected to sleep on the hardwood floor, but if he was going to be left alone for any significant amount of time he needed to try and work out a way to get to the phone.  
Soon realising it was useless he looked around for anything that could help him. Failing that, he tried to focus on perhaps finding an opportunity the next day.  
Charlie returned about a half hour later and returned the bag to the cupboard. That done, he made his way over to kneel on the floor beside Zac.  
“What’s going on?” Zac whispered, hearing footsteps on the staircase.  
Charlie indicated for him to be quiet again as the master entered the room. Watching Charlie keep his head down Zac did the same as the man made for the bathroom. When he was done he went about his usual night routine before settling into bed and turning off the light.   
By the small amount of light coming from the crack in the door Zac saw Charlie settling down and soon followed suit. It wasn’t any more or less comfortable than the concrete floor in the basement, but now he had the chain to contend with. Trying to keep up enough slack so that it wouldn’t make much noise if he moved in his sleep, he settled onto his side and closed his eyes.  
He made sure to wait until he could hear both other men asleep before he allowed himself to relax. His thoughts drifted to Taylor again, hoping that the flickering lights had nothing to do with him but at the same time knowing for sure that they had. He just hoped Isaac would find them soon.


	59. 59

Isaac couldn’t help but feel apprehensive as he walked into the station ahead of Davison shortly before 9pm. He found Gorman in the office they’d been using as their base.  
He knocked on the open door as he stood in the doorway.  
“Isaac, hey,” he looked up from the desk, “how did you go?”  
“You know how it went,” Isaac looked confused.  
“Only the informative side,” Gorman stood and made his way around the desk, “how did you take it?”  
“He’s an asshole, can we leave it at that?” Isaac raised an eyebrow.  
“Okay…” Gorman was sorry he’d asked.  
“I need to talk to you. We, need to talk to you,” Isaac looked over his shoulder as Davison joined him, “in private?”  
Gorman glanced over his shoulder where two of the agents from New York looked up sceptically.  
“Interrogation room,” Gorman nodded for them to follow him.  
Isaac gave the two a look before following. Once inside the room, Davison closed the door.  
“So what’s up?” Gorman asked, “was there something you couldn’t say over the phone?”  
“In a manner of speaking,” Davison indicated for Isaac to pick it up.  
Isaac hesitated, watching the door for a moment.  
“Krüger left me a note at the airport,” he admitted after a long moment of silence.  
“He what?” Gorman was more in shock than anything else.  
“He left me a note. Or rather, Zac did. It was in Zac’s handwriting but it was obviously coerced,” Isaac shrugged.  
“He’s set up a meeting with him,” Davison cut in.  
“You’re kidding.”  
“I’m not,” Davison amended.  
“It’s for the day after tomorrow,” Isaac added.  
“Do you have the note?” Gorman asked.  
“No but I have it memorised,” Isaac assured, “eight o’clock at a street corner just south of Austin city.”  
“That doesn’t sound suspicious already,” Gorman mused.  
“It included a warning to come alone,” Isaac added.  
“Which isn’t happening,” Davison insisted straight away.  
“Of course not,” Gorman started pacing as he thought, “but we have to assume that Krüger would account for that.”  
“So what should we do?” Isaac leant over the table, “I’m not missing this opportunity. It might be the only one we get.”  
“And it could just as easily be another attempt for Krüger to clean up,” Davison pointed out.  
“It probably is, he’d have no other reason to call you in,” Gorman gave Isaac a glance as he moved.  
“I figured,” Isaac couldn’t help but gulp a little.  
“Who else knows?”  
“Just the people in this room,” Davison replied, “and Rick.”  
“Don’t let anyone else know,” Gorman insisted, “if Krüger finds out we know it’ll be off.”  
“Figured that too, we’ve been careful,” Isaac assured.  
“So let’s make a plan,” Davison insisted.


	60. 60

Taylor jolted awake as the door opened. Once again he had no idea how much time had passed, but he’d at least gotten a good sleep in the meantime.  
He gulped when he saw the Texan walking in, closing the door behind himself.  
“Good morning,” he greeted with fake sincerity.  
Taylor moved nothing but his eyes as he followed him over to the table. When he picked up the controller again Taylor basically tried to meld himself with the chair.  
“Where were we?” he tapped it against his opposite palm as he moved to stand in front of him.  
“Let’s begin with a revision. State your designation.”  
“352,” Taylor’s voice was shaky already.  
“Your purpose?”  
“To obey.”  
“Where are you?”  
“Irrelevant,” Taylor gulped again.  
“How are you?”  
“Irrelevant.”  
“Good,” the man smiled, his thumb playing over the switch as he stood to the side a little, “shall we see how you go obeying your orders outside this room?”  
Taylor dared not get his hopes up about getting out of the chair.   
The man stepped aside and replaced the controller on the table without ever touching the switch. Taylor took a deep breath before he came back to the chair and began to unfasten the chains one by one.  
“Stay seated,” he ordered.  
“Yes Master,” Taylor acknowledged, waiting while his ankles were freed as well.  
Once that was done the Texan disconnected one of the chains from the chair before attaching the end of it to the ring in the front of Taylor’s collar.  
“Follow me.”  
Taylor finally stood for the first in a long time, struggling to find his feet for a moment. The Texan waited until he was steady before calmly leading him from the room. They didn’t go far, just back to the room he’d initially come from. As Taylor waited for him to open the door he took a quick look at how the door closed – bolts at the top and bottom and a padlock rather than a key lock. He definitely wasn’t getting out without breaking the door down. Considering the added soundproofing, it didn’t seem likely that could happen either.  
The Texan led him in and attached the chain to the same ring bolt on the floor before turning to leave.  
“Please, Master?” Taylor hoped using the term would buy him some lenience for speaking.  
He waited as the Texan paused in the doorway.  
“I need to use the bathroom,” he said hopefully, not seeing a scornful look in the man’s eyes yet.  
He’d been careful not to phrase it as a question.  
The Texan hesitated consideringly before stepping over to him. Taking him by the hair he led him into the bathroom and turned the light on.  
“Turn around,” he instructed.  
Taylor looked down, then up at him incredulously. But he couldn’t ask if he was serious.  
Face flushing red, he did as he was told.


	61. 61

Toward the end of the breakfast service, Zac noticed the Texan pulling Charlie aside and focused his hearing as he cleared the table.  
“I’d like you to talk to 352 when you’re done,” he began quietly, “there was an incident this morning that may have left him questioning my motives. Concentrate on the subject of control and he will soon figure it out.”  
“Yes Master,” Charlie nodded just as quiet.  
Zac waited until he was sure their short conversation was over before he headed back into the kitchen. Charlie soon joined him, instructing him to carry on with washing the dishes and continue with preparation for lunch before he left him to it. Zac watched as he left the kitchen through the back door again and listened as his footsteps disappeared down the hall. Once he heard them reach the end he dropped what he was doing and followed.  
Taking a careful look down the hall when he came to the door, once he registered that the coast was clear he ducked into the study and closed the door behind him quietly. Not wasting a second of time he made a beeline for the phone. Picking it up and hearing a dial tone he was glad he wouldn’t have to guess the extension to dial outward.  
He pressed 911.  
“9-1-1; police, ambulance or fire?”  
“Police,” Zac tried to keep his voice as quiet as he could.  
“And where is your emergency?”  
“I don’t know,” Zac shook his head.  
He waited as he was put through.  
“Police, what is your emergency?”  
“My name is Zachary Walker Hanson,” he began carefully, “I’m from Tulsa, Oklahoma. My brother and I have been abducted and I don’t know where we are.”  
“Is it safe for you to talk?”  
“No,” Zac leant on the desk, “but I don’t think I’ll get another chance. You can trace this call, right?”  
“As long as you stay on the line. Are you in any immediate danger?”  
“They’re going to notice I’m gone any second now,” Zac looked up at the door, “and they’ll come looking for me.”  
“Is there any information you can give me on your location?”  
“No,” Zac shook his head, “I’ve never seen the outside. Look, um… there’s a Sergeant with Tulsa metro named Davison, he’ll know what’s going on. But I need you to tell him that the note I wrote for my brother is leading him into a trap.”  
“Will he know what that means?”  
“Yes. Or I hope so,” Zac relented, “if he doesn’t then I guess it doesn’t matter.”  
“What do you think you’re doing?”  
Zac’s head snapped up to where the door stood open, the Texan’s current right-hand man staring at him in disbelief.  
“Oh crap.”  
Zac dropped the phone onto the desk as the man made for him, going to grab him by the collar. Knowing the line hadn’t been connected nearly long enough, Zac clenched his teeth and ducked the advance, his fist flying up and hitting the man in the jaw. He dropped, out cold.  
“Oh crap,” Zac repeated, taking a moment to realise what he’d done.


	62. 62

“I just punched and knocked out the guy that was supposed to take me down, so this phone call better be worth the shit I’ve just realised I’m in,” Zac’s voice rose in pitch as he picked up the phone.  
“Just stay on the line as long as you can.”  
Zac eyed the open door nervously.  
“That’s the plan,” he admitted.  
“Is there anything laying around that you can use to protect yourself?”  
“Nothing that can compete with a gun,” Zac looked around anyway, quickly checking the drawers in the desk just in case there might have been a gun there.  
There wasn’t.  
“Or a Taser. Or practically anything else he’s thrown at me.”  
“Is there any way for you to leave? Or a place for you to hide?”  
Zac paused, keeping his eye on the door.  
“No,” he realised, “I’m sorry, I have to deal with this. I’ll leave the phone connected as long as I can but I have to go.”  
“Zachary-“  
Zac opened the top drawer and put the receiver in there, hoping it would mask the sound if any talking came through. Looking down on the unconscious body beside the desk, he ground his teeth as his mind raced for something to do.   
He quickly went through the drawers again looking for ideas. A familiar looking cupboard across the room soon caught his eye. He rushed over to it and opened it, taking a deep breath when it revealed exactly what he’d expected – restraints.  
He grabbed what he figured would be easiest to use (some handcuffs and a gag) and quickly went to put them on him. He pulled his arms behind his back and made sure to secure the cuffs around the leg of the desk so that he wouldn’t be going anywhere, before securing the gag and rushing back to the door.  
There hadn’t been any sign of Charlie.  
Taking another deep breath he closed the door behind him and made his way back to the kitchen.

*

Isaac looked up from where he sat at an office desk when Davison’s phone rang.  
“Davison,” he answered, followed by a long moment of silence.  
The change in his facial expression kept Isaac’s interest peaked. He jumped as Davison abruptly stood up.  
“When did this happen?!” he demanded, catching the attention of Gorman and the Feds behind Isaac, “this is happening now?!”  
Davison locked eyes with Gorman as he made his way over.  
“Tell me you have a trace.”  
He waited for confirmation before telling them to hold on and covering the phone.  
“It’s Tulsa HQ. They’re currently tracing a 911 call from Zac.”  
“Zac?!” Isaac exclaimed, jumping to his feet, “what’s going on?!”  
“He’s still with Krüger but somehow managed to get to a phone. He’s not online any more but he’s left the line open for the tracer,” he uncovered the phone, “do we have confirmation on Taylor?”  
His eyes darted as the other person spoke before he looked between Isaac and Gorman.  
“Taylor’s there but that’s all the info we have. He wasn’t on the line long,” he relayed.


	63. 63

Taylor had jumped when he heard the door opening, once again not having any warning thanks to the soundproofing. He was relieved to see that it was Charlie returning, and struggled for a moment to sit up from where he’d been laying.  
“I was sent to speak with you,” Charlie revealed as he closed the door behind him.  
“Why?” Taylor asked, worried that he already knew the answer.  
Charlie took a few steps forward before taking a seat on the floor just in front of him.  
“I believe you know why,” he said calmly, settling into his usual stare.  
Taylor’s face flushed again and he avoided eye contact.  
“May I ask what happened?” Charlie asked softly.  
“I ah…” Taylor looked to the ceiling as he tried to find the words, “I needed to use the bathroom. And instead of taking the jacket off…”  
He couldn’t finish the sentence. When he saw the curious look on Charlie’s face, he shivered.  
“Charlie?” he began cautiously, “Have you ever… I mean, has he ever… touched you?”  
He gulped before he could clarify.  
“I mean in a sexual way?”  
“No,” Charlie responded almost too suddenly.  
Taylor’s eyes lowered.  
“Not for a very long time,” Charlie amended, making him look up again.  
“But he has?” Taylor’s brow furrowed.  
“Allow me to elaborate,” Charlie insisted before an incredulous look crossed Taylor’s face.  
“In order to lay your fears to rest, though fear is a powerful weapon the Master uses regularly, I believe what happened between he and I was a phase that has long since passed,” he said, “I do not believe he has the same intentions for you.”  
Taylor hung his head silently, trying to reassure himself by Charlie’s words.  
“What the Master is focused on at the moment is your sense of control,” he began again.  
“It’s come up,” Taylor admitted.  
“He wants to be sure that you have relinquished yours.”  
Taylor rolled his eyes at that.  
“Charlie the door to this room has two deadbolts and a padlock,” he shook his head, “even if I had any way of getting through that, I am chained by the throat to the floor. I couldn’t leave the room. And even if I had a way to somehow magically get the collar off or unlock the chain, I’m in a straightjacket. I don’t have the use of my arms. I don’t know how much more ‘control’ I could possibly lose. I’m already losing my mind. That’s not to mention the bullet wound in my leg.”  
He bit his lip when he realised how much he’d rambled.   
“Sorry,” he apologised, glancing at the door before letting his eyes fall again.  
Charlie waited a moment for him to gather himself before he spoke again.  
“The Master will make you aware once he is satisfied with your level of commitment,” he assured.  
“I don’t know what else to do,” Taylor’s eyes narrowed, “since the chair I’ve done everything that he’s asked of me.”  
“He just needs time,” Charlie ducked his head a little, “you both need time. To familiarise yourselves with each other again.”  
Taylor considered his wording.  
“Maybe,” he relented, “I just need him to trust me. Like he used to.”


	64. 64

“Can we listen to the call?” Isaac asked tensely.  
“Can we get audio from the call?” Davison asked into the phone.  
He nodded when he got the reply.  
“Okay ah… we need another line,” he walked around the desk to one of the landline phones, “I’ll put the call through now and I’ll set the phone to conference mode.”  
Isaac ducked around to the phone as Davison dialled, waiting impatiently as it connected and Davison hit the appropriate buttons.  
“Is it working?” Davison frowned.  
He waited for the reply before looking to Isaac.  
“It’s connected right now,” he assured, “the line is silent. They believe he left the phone connected and walked out.”  
“Can he hear us if he’s there?” Isaac asked hopefully.  
“No it’s just a patch,” Davison shook his head.  
He paused as he heard the person on the phone talking to him again.  
“The call’s coming from Texas,” he announced to the room suddenly.  
“I knew it,” Isaac looked between them, “we should have left for Austin already!”  
“They’re still honing in,” Davison raised a hand to calm him, “but it’s definitely in the general area.”  
“We need to get the squad on the road,” Gorman insisted, rounding up some paperwork.  
“No argument here,” Isaac assured.  
“Get me a line with Dallas, see if they can spare any men to send down!” Gorman ordered one of the Feds.  
He nodded and got on the phone right away.  
Once Gorman had his file together he ducked out of the room. Reappearing in the doorway, he pointed at Isaac.  
“Wait here. Just for a second,” he ordered.  
Isaac shrugged as he disappeared again. He turned to watch the Fed on the phone to Dallas, who soon ended the call and made for the doorway as well. His partner was on the phone to New York to relay what was happening.  
“Gorman?!” the agent called down the hall, “Dallas is on it!”  
“Thank you!” came a far reply.  
“What’s taking so long, why don’t we just hit the road?!” Isaac exclaimed suddenly.  
“Red tape,” Davison offered before turning to the Feds, “but if I were you I’d get one of the SWATs ready.”  
“Give us five minutes,” the one who’d called Dallas disappeared from the room.  
The one on the phone to New York joined him the moment the call ended. As soon as he left the room a moan came through the conference call.  
“What was that?” Isaac ducked over to it as Davison asked his caller the same thing.  
“It could be whoever came in after Zac,” he relayed.  
“What do you mean?” Isaac frowned.  
“Apparently someone came after him and he knocked them out. Before he had to go,” Davison amended.  
“Dammit we need to go!” Isaac insisted before Gorman appeared in the doorway again.  
“All clear,” he nodded to Isaac, “you coming?”


	65. 65

“As long as you prove yourself to be trustworthy, he will have no reason to doubt you.”  
“But how do I do that?” Taylor shook his head, “how can I prove myself? All I can do is just what he tells me and that’s it. And I can’t ask, because he just ignores any questions now.”  
Charlie nodded.  
“You do all that you can do,” he said simply, “if all you can do is as he asks, then that is what you do. He does pay attention. He will notice every move you make, and whether or not it suits conformity.”  
“I just want out of this jacket,” Taylor admitted, close to tears again, “the collar I can deal with. I’ve done it before. But this…?”  
“Perhaps it is best to contemplate your current predicament further,” Charlie suggested, “so that you may come to appreciate the freedoms he will inevitably give you even more so.”  
Taylor paused as he considered.  
“Maybe that’s his game?” he looked up, “maybe he’s turning it into a Stockholm thing. So I’ll be grateful once he lets me at least move my arms.”  
“It is not a game,” Charlie assured, leaning his hands on his knees as he struggled to stand up.  
“I didn’t mean-“ Taylor cut himself off, not sure how to explain what he’d meant.  
He couldn’t help but think over what had happened in Tampico with Carlos and Juan, and knowing how close he’d come to falling for the woman’s technique. He obviously didn’t feel the same sentiment for this man as he had for her, but he was terrified that it wasn’t far away no matter what punishments he dealt.  
“If I am allowed, I will return with food,” Charlie dipped his head a little, “if not, good day.”  
Taylor frowned a little at the odd ending to the conversation as Charlie made to leave.   
“Charlie?”  
He paused with his hand on the door handle, not bothering to turn back.  
“What happens to us if he dies?” Taylor knew it was an odd moment to bring it up, but the question had been haunting him for a day or so now.  
Charlie hesitated before looking back.  
“I believe you may know already,” his eyes were low.  
Which was exactly what Taylor hadn’t wanted to hear.  
“We will have served our purpose,” Charlie explained.  
“But if I conform…” Taylor held back a gulp, “I’ll definitely outlive him.”  
Charlie offered him a sympathetic glance before finally leaving and closing the door. Taylor took a deep breath to try and steady himself before he lay down again and closed his eyes.

*

Zac was rushing to finish the lunch preparation when Charlie returned to the kitchen. He immediately slowed down, trying not to make it obvious that he’d been covering for time.  
“Almost done,” he assured, not sure he was hiding his nerves as well as he thought.  
“Well done,” Charlie nodded, making his way over to help.  
Zac glanced back at the door, glad that no one had been in the study yet but not sure how much time he was going to have. He even started to wonder if maybe he should have killed the man, but then there would have been a body to explain.  
The two finished their work in silence before Charlie led him from the kitchen and toward the living room. Here they began their cleaning chores for the day, Zac’s nerves on edge the entire time as he waited for the Texan to appear any moment with a familiar scowl on his face.


	66. 66

When it came time for the evening meal and still nothing had happened, Zac grew even more worried. He knew the man in the study had to have been awake and assuredly must have been missed throughout the day. Yet still, even as dinner was served, there was nothing.  
He began to wonder if he accidentally had killed the man.  
As they began clearing the table, the Texan called Charlie to his side again. This time he kept his eye on Zac so he couldn’t even pretend not to hear what was said.  
“Join me in the living room after clean up,” he said softly, “I’d like your report on this one.”  
“Yes Master,” Charlie nodded before continuing to help Zac clean.  
The Texan left the room before they were done, and Charlie soon ushered Zac through to the kitchen. They quickly did the dishes and made sure the kitchen was tidy and ready for the following morning before Charlie led him out again and into the foyer.  
“Wait here,” Charlie instructed, indicating the bottom of the staircase.  
Zac looked up it apprehensively as Charlie disappeared through the double doors into the living room where he knew the Texan must have already been. Because he closed the doors behind him, Zac couldn’t hear a word that was said. After waiting a while, he took a seat two steps from the bottom of the staircase to wait.  
Just when he thought they were never going to emerge, one of the doors opened and Charlie ducked through. Zac stood up in order to greet him, before hesitating as the Texan came through straight after.  
“Report to room three,” he told Charlie, who nodded and disappeared down the left hall.  
Zac’s ears perked, as it had been mentioned earlier that Taylor had been there. He didn’t have long to make the connection before the Texan made his way over.  
“Move,” he pointed in the direction he wanted him to go.  
Zac was confused, but obeyed the order silently. When he realised they were heading for the basement his heart leapt into his throat.  
The Texan opened the basement door for him and instructed him to step through. Once he did, the first thing that happened was Zac being clocked across the jaw.  
He yelled out – more from the shock than the hit – and staggered back against the side wall, cupping his cheek as he looked back to see the man he’d left in the study waiting to land another one.  
“Wait,” the Texan instructed, closing the door behind him.  
“Why?” the man scowled in frustration as Zac’s eyes darted between them.  
“I have a better idea for this one,” the Texan assured.  
“Oh come on! Can’t I just-?”  
“He will have been expecting this,” the Texan scorned, “so let’s hit him where it really hurts. Go and fetch 352 from room one.”  
Zac’s eyes shot between them as they spoke, then landed on the lackey as he smirked and left the room.  
“What are you gonna do?” Zac’s voice shook as he took in the Texan’s demeanour.  
It hadn’t even crossed his mind that they’d involve Taylor.  
“Questions now?” the Texan seemed perplexed.  
He grabbed Zac by the hair and pulled him toward the table where he kept most of his training implements. Zac cringed but didn’t make a sound as the man grabbed a padlock and instructed him to sit with his back to one of the legs. A moment later his hands were cuffed around it securely.


	67. 67

“Hey! We just got a call from Zac-“  
“You what?!”  
“Zac. He called 9-1-1 and got them to trace the call. I don’t know how because he didn’t stay on the line,” Isaac quickly brushed over, “but the call came from Texas so we’re heading to Austin now.”  
“Ike wait! I’ll be there in five!”  
“We’re leaving _now_ ,” Isaac emphasised.  
“Then pick me up on the way through,” Rick insisted, “I’m coming with you. I’ve been in this from day one and I am not letting you go solo now.”  
Isaac fought with himself for a moment before turning to Gorman, the two of them sitting in the back of a SWAT van with two of the New York agents.  
“Rick wants in,” he informed him, “any chance we can swing by?”  
“Where is he?” Gorman frowned.  
“Practically on the way,” Isaac assured.  
Gorman hesitated, but hit the grate separating the front and back of the van.  
“We’re making a quick stop,” he informed the driver.  
“We’re coming to get you,” Isaac said into the phone, “you’d better be ready.”  
“I will be,” Rick assured, “see you soon.”  
“See you soon. And Rick? Thanks.”  
“As if I’d miss it,” Rick scorned before hanging up.  
Isaac put his phone away as the van turned off a main road and headed in for Rick’s house. They weren’t far along when Gorman’s phone rang.  
“Gorman,” he answered, “Davison, yes?”  
Isaac looked up when he heard who it was.  
“Okay I’ll relay that. Are you sure on the scatter?”  
Isaac frowned as he watched Gorman’s face for any sign of what was going on.  
“Great. Okay we’ll converse and get back to you on that. We may have to wait until tomorrow night after all.”  
As he hung up, Isaac clenched his teeth at the last comment.  
“Kyle,” Gorman announced, “the call came from Kyle, not from Austin.”  
“Where’s Kyle?” one of the New Yorkers asked.  
“Not far south of Austin, so we still need to head there. But that’s as far as the trace goes. The line was connected for a good few hours but there was some sort of scrambler attached to it so we couldn’t get too close.”  
“Damn,” Isaac ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.  
“We’re honing in,” Gorman tried to reassure him, “it’s just a matter of time.”  
“It’s always a matter of time,” Isaac shook his head.  
Between five and ten minutes later they pulled up on the verge outside Rick’s house. As soon as the van doors were opened, he jumped in with his backpack.  
“Let’s go!” he insisted once the doors closed behind him.  
Isaac grinned at the sight of his friend and they shook hands before he sat down opposite.  
“So I take one day off and everything happens, huh?” Rick smirked.  
“We just figured out there was a scrambler put on the phone,” Gorman caught him up, “but we know enough to head for Kyle rather than Austin.”


	68. 68

The Texan was pacing in front of Zac when the door opened again. Zac’s head snapped up in time to see Taylor being man-handled through the door, wearing a straightjacket and the same collar still around his neck with a semi-long chain attached.  
“Zac?!” he exclaimed when he saw him, before being hit across the jaw.  
“Tay I’m sorry!” Zac was pulling on the cuffs but knew from experience that he wasn’t going anywhere.  
As Taylor recovered he looked up to see the Texan walking toward him.   
“Silence,” he ordered, a finger to his lips.  
Taylor gulped but obeyed, his eyes not leaving the man’s face. The Texan took the chain and pulled him forward, Zac immediately noticing his limp and wondering what had happened to his leg. His lackey, relieved of holding Taylor, stepped over to Zac and stood beside him looking down.   
“353 here has been playing some games with us,” the Texan informed Taylor as he stepped around behind him, “so it comes time to play some games with him in return.”  
“I’m sorry,” Zac repeated, shaking his head.  
Taylor just frowned, not knowing what they were talking about. He stiffened when he felt the Texan’s hand in his hair.  
“As you should be,” he nodded to Zac, “still, while an apology is appreciated, we need a deterrent from this sort of thing becoming a habit.”  
“I swear I’ll never do it again,” Zac shook his head insistently, “just _please_ take it out on me!”  
“I suggest you take a deep breath,” Taylor took a moment to realise the Texan was talking to him, “and hold it.”  
Taylor felt his heart begin to race, not knowing what was going to happen, but once again he didn’t dare not do as he was told. He felt the grip in his hair tighten slightly and braced himself.  
“While I’m sure you’ll pay your own price for your venture later tonight,” the Texan gave his lackey a pointed look, “I somehow don’t think it will be quite as effective as this.”  
He waited a moment longer until he saw Taylor struggling to hold his breath, then suddenly clamped his right hand over his mouth. Taylor’s eyes widened in shock when he also felt his nostrils pinned closed between the man’s fingers and immediately began to struggle.  
“TAY!” Zac forgot he was restrained for a moment, hitting his head on the way back down after trying to get up.  
“Did you know 353, that asphyxiation is supposedly the most painful way to die?” the Texan asked calmly, eyes on Zac.  
“I don’t know how they research such things, but it certainly appears a hard way to go. Don’t you think so?”  
“Please let him go,” Zac begged, “please! You’re killing him! It should be me!”  
“While the sentiment is also appreciated,” the Texan continued calmly as Taylor’s struggles began to die down, “unfortunately he is expendable while you are not.”  
Taylor’s brow furrowed, though he couldn’t even hear what the man was saying. His chest felt on fire and his legs were now scrambling to keep himself upright. The Texan kept a firm hold on him right up until the moment he passed out. The Texan followed him to his knees as he became a dead weight, still keeping a firm hold.  
“Are you also aware, that the longer the brain is deprived of oxygen, the more cells that die?” he taunted.


	69. 69

“Please! I’ll do anything you want, just please let him go,” Zac begged.  
“Anything?” the Texan feigned surprised.  
“Yes! Anything!” Zac exclaimed desperately, knowing Taylor was out of time.  
“We’ll see about that,” he mused, finally letting Taylor go and dropping him to the floor before looking to the man standing by Zac, “resuscitate him.”  
The man made his way to Taylor’s side as Zac sat up straighter, trying to see if his brother was even breathing again yet. He couldn’t tell from the distance, even less so when the man crouched in front of him to begin the revival.  
Zac leant back against the table and looked up as the Texan came to stand over him.  
“Evidently I gave you too much freedom too soon,” he seemed to ponder his mistake, “but yet we only have a few days left together, so this needs to be rectified quickly.”  
Zac just stared at him, wondering where he was going with it.  
“We’re in for a long night,” he eventually sighed, stepping away.  
Zac kept an eye on him as he walked over to his left where some animal cages sat piled up, ones that looked strikingly similar to those that had been on the Cessna.   
“He’s breathing,” the other man suddenly announced, standing up again from where Taylor was now on his back.  
“Good. Remove the jacket. 353 can wear it instead.”  
Zac’s eyes shot between the two apprehensively, but he didn’t dare complain. Anything to help Taylor at this point was worth anything he had. He watched as the man struggled to get it off the limp Taylor, finally managing to pull it free and throw it aside.  
“What about him?” he asked the Texan.  
“Bring him here,” he ordered, opening one of the cages ready.  
Zac hit his head back against the table as he watched. At least if his brother was going in a cage they’d leave him alone for a while. The man dragged Taylor over, careful not to get the chain caught on anything on the way. The Texan made his way back to the table to fetch another two padlocks and some black wrist cuffs like the ones Zac wore before returning to the cage. He fitted the cuffs around Taylor’s wrists and padlocked them together before the two of them manoeuvred him into the cage and padlocked the door shut. While he was glad that Taylor was now out of their firing range, he knew the focus was now on him.  
“Get the jacket on him and you can go ahead and let off some steam,” the Texan offered.  
“Little help?” his eyebrows rose.  
The Texan rolled his eyes before they both made their way back to Zac, the lackey picking up the jacket on the way. The Texan knelt to unlock the cuffs, but paused first.  
“Do I need to warn you again?” he asked seriously.  
Zac started shaking his head before he even finished the sentence. The cuffs were unlocked and Zac was pulled to his feet, the two of them roughly fitting the jacket and beginning to do up the straps. Zac kept his eye on Taylor for the time being, trying not to dwell on what was coming. He wasn’t showing any sign of coming to.  
“Have fun,” the Texan gave the man a pat on the back once they were done, before he turned to leave the room, “I need to go pay Charlie a disciplinary visit.”  
The man waited until the door was closed behind him before turning back to Zac with a grin.  
“I’m going to enjoy this,” he said snidely, before landing a second punch.


	70. 70

Taylor awoke with a start, hitting the back of the cage as he jumped. Zac jumped at least a few inches at the sudden clash of metal, eyes shooting across to his brother.  
“Tay?!” he called out.  
Taylor had grabbed onto the front of the cage with his left hand and was looking around trying to figure out where he was. He was panting, his right fist clasped against his chest. At the sound of Zac’s voice his head shot to the side.  
“Zac?” his voice croaked, before he had to let out a cough.  
His chest still felt like it was on fire and his head was pounding.  
“Are you okay?” Zac asked carefully, seeing his brother struggling to breathe a little.  
Taylor hesitated as he gathered his thoughts, but eventually nodded.  
“What happened?” his voice still croaked.  
“He almost killed you, because I screwed up,” Zac answered somewhat emotionally.  
Taylor used his other hand to grab the front of the cage, pulling against it so that he could sit himself up further. Once he’d managed to straighten his back a little, he finally took in his brother.  
“Zac what happened?” he frowned before coughing again, “what happened to you?”  
Zac gulped a little. He was still wearing the straightjacket, and he now had his own chain locked to one of the beams holding up the ceiling. He was bleeding from multiple places on his face and neck, and one of his eyes had swollen.  
“Like I said,” he shrugged, “I screwed up.”  
“How?” Taylor shook his head, unable to take his eyes away.  
Zac looked toward the door to make sure they were alone.  
“I got to a phone,” he admitted before having to clear his throat, “I called 9-1-1.”  
Taylor’s eyes widened and he sat up further.  
“How? What happened? Did you get through?” he fired off.  
“I found a phone in a study when I was left alone for a while,” Zac looked to the door again, “I got through but I don’t know how long it was connected for. I don’t know if they traced us or not.”  
“Did you tell them who we were?” Taylor asked.  
“Yeah,” Zac nodded, “I told them to tell Davison.”  
Taylor sat back a little, his mind racing and egging his headache on further.  
“And they caught you?” he asked.  
“Yeah. The guy with the fists? He walked in on me. So I punched him out and left him tied up.”  
If he hadn’t been hurting so bad Taylor would have laughed at that.  
“We’re in Kyle,” he said suddenly.  
“What?” Zac looked up.  
“Kyle, Texas,” Taylor glanced at the door as well, “Charlie told me.”  
“Well that would have been good to know,” Zac smirked.  
Taylor watched him for a moment before shifting so he could sit back against the side of the cage. After a moment of silence, Zac cleared his throat again.  
“Tay? I need to tell you something. About Ike.”  
Taylor’s eyes shot across to him again.  
“Back at the airport…” Zac began carefully, “he made me leave him a note. He’s organised a meeting with him. I don’t know when, but I think it’s soon.”  
“You what?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose, panic rising in his chest.


	71. 71

“I couldn’t help it,” Zac sounded upset.  
“Do you remember what it said?” Taylor asked, evidently worried.  
“It was something about meeting just south of Austin,” Zac shook his head, “and to come alone. Tay he’s heading for a trap.”  
Taylor rubbed his face.  
“I know,” he admitted suddenly, “he told me.”  
“He told you?” Zac’s eyebrows rose.  
“Not in so many words,” Taylor clarified, “but he showed me a photo of the police station in Tulsa. There was an explosion, and… apparently a lot of people died.”  
“I overheard he’d killed some cops in Oklahoma,” Zac offered.  
“That must have been it,” Taylor agreed, “but Ike was in the photo, and he was okay. Then he told me that he wanted Ike to find us, because he was one of few people left who could.”  
He bit his lip as Zac processed what he’d said.  
“I told 9-1-1 that Ike was heading for a trap,” Zac leant his head back against the pole, “hopefully they tell him before it’s too late.”  
Taylor eyed him for a moment before taking a deep breath.  
“I doubt we’re gonna know,” he reasoned.  
“What happened to your leg?” Zac tried to change the subject.  
Taylor hesitated before bringing his knee into his chest and tentatively tracing the bandage with his fingertips. After spending so long trying to at least be able to touch it, he suddenly didn’t want to.  
“He shot me,” he admitted, making Zac’s eyebrows raise, “because I wouldn’t kneel.”  
“Damn,” was Zac’s eventual comment.  
“Yeah,” Taylor sighed, “guess you can’t lay claim to being the only Hanson that’s been shot now.”  
“I was shot in the chest,” Zac scorned, “it’s a little different.”  
Taylor smirked, getting the reaction he’d been after. At least he wasn’t feeling too sorry for himself.  
Zac’s eyes narrowed at Taylor’s reaction before a knowing look crossed his face. He waited a moment before saying the next thing.  
“I’ve only got a few more days,” he said.  
Taylor’s eyes shot up, once again with worry showing in them.  
“What do you mean?” he asked.  
“Here,” Zac clarified, “he’s either passing me on or I’ve been sold, I’m not sure. The guy with the clip board was here asking questions. That’s how I found out about the cops dying. Apparently their superiors aren’t very happy with this guy for doing it.”  
Taylor paused as he processed what Zac had said.  
“Do you know what he’s doing with you yet?” Zac asked before he could respond, “is he going to send you back to Mexico?”  
“I wish,” Taylor scoffed, “but no. I’m not going anywhere.”  
Zac frowned at that. When Taylor registered his lack of response he cleared his throat.  
“He’s decided to keep me for himself. To replace Charlie,” he explained.  
“You’re kidding,” Zac’s frown only deepened, “I thought the whole idea was to get you back for that Mexican woman?”  
“No, she let me go,” Taylor shook his head sullenly, “and he killed her for it.”  
“How could you possibly know that?” Zac asked, confused, “unless he told you?”


	72. 72

“You’re seriously telling me that you willingly kept in contact with a woman who held you captive – literally by the throat might I add – for months on end?” Zac’s brow furrowed incredulously.  
“She didn’t really-“ Taylor cut himself off.  
He wasn’t sure how to explain it.  
“It doesn’t matter,” he said decidedly, “she’s dead. He killed her in front of me. After pointing out a specific part of my contract that stated if she died then the ownership reverted back to him.”  
Zac hit his head back against the pole again.  
“This is so messed up,” he muttered under his breath.  
“I think we’re well past the messed up stage,” Taylor reasoned, shifting again to try and straighten his back.  
“I’m talking about you,” Zac said suddenly.  
Taylor hesitated in his movement, looking across at him.  
“You can’t see what’s happening here? What’s happening to you specifically?” Zac was back to looking upset, “Tay you’re playing right into what they want! It’s almost like you’re becoming dependant on them or something.”  
“I’m not dependant on them,” Taylor couldn’t help but scowl, “forgive me if I’d rather heed his warnings than be fried in his homemade electric chair.”  
Zac blanched. The flickering lights suddenly made sense.  
“So why?” he asked, “why did you keep in contact with her? You should have been glad to be rid of her. You should want to forget.”  
“I honestly don’t know,” Taylor shook his head, “I guess on some level… I mean I lived with her for a long time, her kids were my focus for a long time.”  
He gulped a little as he thought of Gabriela, Javier and David now being orphans.  
“I think I could relate to her in a way. In the end.”  
“You could relate to her?” Zac wasn’t sure he’d heard right, “Tay she was a slave owner.”  
“But she was also a mother,” Taylor frowned, “her first priority was always her kids. And she grew up with slaves, it’s not like she just decided that one day she was going to abduct someone and make them work for her.”  
“Yet in a roundabout way she did,” Zac interjected.  
Taylor scowled again.  
“She didn’t know,” he defended, “as far as she was aware we were taken off the streets, we didn’t have much of a life to speak of.”  
“I can’t believe you’re defending her,” Zac rolled his eyes, turning away, “a life is a life, Tay.”  
“I know that,” Taylor scorned, “and… over time, she was learning that.”  
“You’ve been in contact with her since you left, haven’t you?” Zac’s eyes narrowed.  
“No,” Taylor shook his head, “she showed up at our first concert.”  
Zac groaned.  
“Besides, between here and Mexico? That was definitely the lesser of two evils,” Taylor added.  
“At least this guy isn’t whipping you,” Zac grunted.  
“I disobeyed, I deserved it,” Taylor shrugged.  
“You can’t _deserve_ to get whipped to the bone,” Zac was back to incredulous, “see? This is exactly what I’m talking about. You thinking you deserved that. It’s insane!”  
“It’s a different way of life,” Taylor hit back, cutting off as the basement door suddenly reopened.


	73. 73

Taylor instantly pressed himself up against the back of the cage as the Texan entered, his lackey right behind him.  
“Take him to room three, I’ll be up in a moment,” he ordered, indicating Zac.  
Zac and Taylor made eye contact with each other as the Texan made his way toward the cage. The grunt made for Zac and began unlocking the chain from the beam before grabbing him by the jacket and pulling him to his feet.  
Taylor’s eyes shot back to the Texan as he came to stand in front of the cage and began a silent downward stare. His lack of vocabulary set Taylor on edge until he realised the man was studying his breathing.  
He pulled his eyes away only long enough to watch Zac being led from the room before returning them to his captor.  
“That was for his benefit, not yours,” Taylor jumped as he suddenly spoke, “your breathing seems laboured. Are you having some difficulty?”  
Taylor took a moment to register that he was actually asking if he was okay.   
“I just…” he held back a cough as his voice rasped a little still, “have a little… some chest pain.”  
“On a scale of one to ten?” the Texan ignored his stammering.  
“Maybe a six or seven?” Taylor tried to be honest.  
The Texan nodded and stepped aside. Taylor shifted so he could watch where he was going, seeing him make his way to one of the many basement cabinets. When he brought back a small oxygen tank, Taylor tried to push himself back from the door in preparation for it to open.  
The Texan knelt in front of it and unlocked the padlock.  
“Stay still,” he ordered.  
Taylor dropped his hands into his lap before freezing. He waited as the door opened and the Texan fiddled with the oxygen mask, disconnecting and reconnecting the hose through the wires on the door. When he was done he handed Taylor the mask.  
“Try this,” he offered.  
Taylor took it thankfully, holding it over his nose and mouth as the Texan set the dials to let the oxygen flow freely.  
“Better?” he checked.  
Taylor nodded, unsure of how else to reply. The Texan took the cue to close the door again and replace the padlock and Taylor began to breathe a bit easier. He instantly felt a chill creep up his back as Zac’s words echoed in his head, realising that he actually felt safer with the cage locked.  
“I’ll return tomorrow to check on your progress,” the Texan assured as he stood up again, “you’ll have enough supply until then.”  
Taylor just nodded again, closing his eyes as the oxygen calmed him further. He listened as he heard the man’s footsteps walking to the door, and once he heard the door close behind him he managed to shift himself down so that he was laying in an almost foetal position with the mask still against his face. His legs were cramped in the small space but he knew he needed to at least try and get some sleep.  
As he began to feel lightheaded he thought back over his conversation with Zac. His biggest hope was that Zac’s call had gone through, and that they somehow got the message relayed to Isaac in time.  
And now he hoped that he wouldn’t lose his mind in the meantime.


	74. 74

Zac had to take a step back when the man who’d led him to the supposed ‘room three’ had opened the door and quickly closed it again. Not daring to open his mouth to ask what was wrong, he stood back as the man looked worriedly back down the hallway.  
“We’re waiting here,” he announced finally, stepping back against the opposite wall.  
Zac’s eyes fell to where he still held the chain in his hands as they set to waiting. It was only another five minutes or so before the Texan came down the hall.  
“You didn’t mention Charlie was in there,” the man said to him without moving.  
“I forgot,” the Texan’s eyes narrowed as he came to the door and opened it, “give me a moment.”  
As he stepped through he left the door open a slight crack. Zac didn’t bother to look, but once again listened in carefully. He heard the distinct rattle of chains followed by soft voices.  
“Can you stand?”  
“Yes Master.”  
“Good. Fetch me a coffee and you may retire for the night.”  
“Yes Master.”  
Zac frowned to himself at the reiteration that this was going to take a while. He looked up as Charlie emerged from the room, ignoring the two of them as he retreated down the hall.  
“Come in,” came the Texan’s voice.  
Zac almost choked at the sudden pull on the collar when his handler led him inside by the chain. When his eyes fell on the chair his face lost colour. This had been the chair Taylor had mentioned, he was sure.  
He was pulled over to it and secured in the same way Taylor had been with four chains across his chest. The Texan knelt to remove his shoes and shackle his ankles, before dismissing the second man.  
“Can I at least watch for bit?” he asked, catching both Zac and the Texan by surprise.  
“No,” the Texan said decidedly, “we don’t need the distraction.”  
“Fine,” he grumbled, before leaving and closing the door behind him.  
Zac’s eyes shot to where the Texan retrieved the controller.  
“Shall we do a test run?” he mused, holding the control where Zac could easily see it before pressing down on the button.  
Zac’s jaw clenched in reaction to the shock and he couldn’t help but yell out. When it finally ended he kept his eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath.  
“So,” the Texan immediately got down to business, “your audible responses are coming along well, though Charlie tells me you tend to push the boundaries when I’m not in the room.”  
Zac opened his eyes at that, wondering if he’d be punished for it.  
“While it’s certainly frowned upon it’s not entirely against the rules. I guess we could let that one slide.”  
Zac breathed a sigh of relief.  
“However,” he began more sternly, “your conduct over the last few days highlights what we truly need to focus on. Not only pure obedience, but also your sense of entitlement and self-worth.”  
Zac frowned at that, but once again didn’t dare argue. His eyes glued to the man as he began pacing in front of him.  
“Let’s begin with some hypotheticals,” he said, “and see how you go. I want the first answer that comes to mind, not one you’ve had to test internally before sharing with me. Understand?”


	75. 75

“We need a car.”  
Half the people in the back of the van looked up as Isaac spoke.  
“If we’re at least going to pretend that I came on my own, I’m going to need my own car,” he insisted.  
“We’ll find one,” Gorman promised, nodding to one of the agents who got on the phone straight away.  
They’d arrived in Austin in the early hours of the morning and decided to take refuge in one of the local police stations close to the nominated meeting point. It had been confirmed that there was no hope of gaining a further trace on Zac’s call other than ‘Kyle’, so they’d spent the night on the road figuring out how to play out the scheduled meeting between Isaac and Krüger to their benefit. Not to mention creating multiple backup plans in case the original went awry.  
“Surely he’s not going to expect you to actually come alone,” Rick tried to reason.  
“At this point, who knows?” Isaac shrugged.  
“I think I should come with you.”  
Isaac stared at him for a moment, before looking to Gorman.  
“We could play it off as you needing emotional support or something,” Rick quickly brushed over.  
“What do you think?” Isaac asked Gorman.  
“I think you’re taking your life in your hands no matter what you do,” Gorman shrugged, “it’s up to you. But I guess like he said, I doubt Krüger would really expect you to come alone.”  
“And I’m not technically a cop,” Rick smirked, “at least not anymore. I could be a good decoy.”  
Isaac hesitated as he thought it over. He had a bad feeling about the whole situation, but that was nothing new.  
“Okay,” he finally relented, “but once we get a car, what do we do until then?”  
“We’ve got a long day of waiting ahead of us,” Gorman pointed out, “might pay to rest up. I think we’ll all need it.”  
“What are the Dallas Feds doing?” Rick asked.  
“Yeah… weren’t they called from Tulsa?” Isaac added with a curious look at Gorman, “I haven’t heard anything since.”  
“They’re heading down to Kyle,” Gorman informed them, “they’ll focus their efforts there, because we at least know that’s where your brothers are.”  
“Or were,” Isaac’s eyebrows rose, “seems any time we get close they get wind of it and take off.”  
“So we’ll keep chasing. They can’t run forever,” Gorman mused.  
“No but if last time is anything to go by, this is just the beginning,” Isaac sounded at a loss already.  
“And if the Holmes and Devereux incident is anything to go by, then we’re playing into overtime,” Rick hit back.  
Isaac smirked.  
“Come on,” Rick gave him a pat on the back as the van came to a halt, “let’s go and get some sleep and focus more when we’re awake and firing on all cylinders.”  
“As if I could sleep,” Isaac rolled his eyes, but followed the Feds out of the van regardless.  
They all made their way into the station, greeted by the receptionist and the local Sergeant. From there everyone but Gorman was shown to a back room they could use to bunker down for the day. Gorman gave the higher personnel on duty a briefing on the situations in all Tulsa, Dallas and Kyle, before he retired to the back room himself. Isaac lay with his eyes open for a good few hours.


	76. 76

“Hey! Ike!”  
Isaac jolted awake as Rick slapped him on the shoulder.  
“Dude it’s six-thirty. We gotta make a move.”  
Isaac groaned and rubbed his eyes as he sat up on the makeshift bed. Two of the New Yorkers were also just getting up, but there was no sign of the other two or Gorman.  
“Where’s Gorman?” Isaac asked, squinting up at Rick.  
“Suiting up the car,” he replied as he put his shoes back on.  
“You boys get any sleep?” one of the agents asked them.  
“Not enough,” Isaac admitted.  
He hesitated before extending his hand.  
“Isaac Hanson,” he introduced.  
“Clay Thompson,” the Fed returned, “this is Frank Devereux.”  
“Devereux?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“No relation,” the other agent assured, “I checked. I would have needed a hell of a contamination shower if I’d found out otherwise.”  
Rick smirked as Isaac pulled his shoes on and finally stood up.  
“Richard Astley, friends call me Rick,” he extended his hand to Clay.  
“How do you two…?” he looked between them.  
“He was on the case the first time my brother was abducted,” Isaac explained, “he helped us out a lot.”  
“And then decided the force really wasn’t for me,” Rick added almost sheepishly.  
“And yet here you are. They all come crawling back eventually,” Clay mused.  
“What can I say?” Rick shrugged, “you can take the man out of the uniform…”  
“Right,” Clay nodded, “well I guess this is where we say goodbye. Good luck boys. Hopefully we’ll see you when it’s over.”  
“Yeah, you too,” Isaac nodded with an encouraging smile before leaving the room.  
Rick flanked him as he headed out into the main station in search of Gorman. They found him just walking back in the main doors.  
“We’re just about ready,” he informed them as Isaac rubbed the sleep from his eyes, “just waiting on the SWAT to load their van. We’ll take a half hour head start.”  
He held the car keys out to Isaac.  
“You won’t even know we’re there,” he promised.  
“But will Krüger? That’s the question,” Isaac pointed out as he took them.  
“Depends on his spotters and how prepared they are,” Gorman shrugged, “anyway that’s your car – the brown sedan out there. You can drive a stick shift?”  
“Of course,” Isaac insisted.  
“Good.”  
They fell silent as Clay and Frank made their way past.  
“Coming Gorman?”  
“Guess that’s our cue,” he mused, holding his hand out to shake both Isaac and Rick’s, “good luck, and we’ll see you out there. Just don’t leave here until at least seven-thirty.”  
“We won’t,” Rick promised for the both of them.  
Gorman gave them both an appreciative nod before walking out and heading for the van.


	77. 77

Isaac pulled the car to a halt underneath a streetlight on the designated corner of outer city Austin. His heart was already pounding, but there was no sign of any other car in the area. Which was a good thing, because SWAT were supposedly already lined up.  
“What’s the time?” Rick asked, watching the street for any sign of incoming headlights.  
“Five to,” Isaac replied, taking the key out and throwing it onto the dash.  
“So I guess we wait then,” Rick sighed, slumping back in his seat.  
“I guess we do.”  
They waited in silence. Two cars passed in the meantime, neither of them stopping or even slowing down. They were near a residential area so it wasn’t an entirely isolated street corner.  
Isaac jumped as his phone rang a few minutes later.  
“Hey,” he answered, keeping an eye on the street.  
“Anything?” came Gorman’s voice.  
“Nothing yet,” Isaac shook his head checking his watch, “but you know, we’ve still got thirty seconds.”  
“We’ve got eyes on you,” Gorman assured, “and there are a couple of squad cars in the vicinity if anything goes wrong. If nothing happens by the time-“  
Boom.  
Isaac and Rick almost jumped out of their skins as the windows in the car rattled in the shockwave. To their right they saw a massive fireball rising above one of the nearby houses, soon dying into yet another cloud of black smoke.  
“What the?!” Rick exclaimed, opening the car door and getting out.  
“Tell me you saw that,” Isaac said into the phone.  
He pulled it back from his ear in shock when he realised it was disconnected. Taking a moment to put two and two together, he cursed and followed Rick out. Rick had made his way around to Isaac’s side by then.  
“That can’t be good,” he said, eyes wide.  
“The call cut out,” Isaac informed him as he redialled Gorman’s number.  
He cursed again as it wouldn’t go through. Before he could tell Rick that it was probably the SWAT van that had gone up, flashes of blue and red filled the street as one of the local squad cars appeared suddenly and screeched to a halt beside their car.  
“You guys okay?!” one of the officers yelled as he got out.  
“We’re fine. They’re not,” Isaac insisted, pointing to the smoke.  
“It’s too late for them now. We need to get you guys to safety,” the other officer insisted, opening the back door of the squad car, “we don’t know if your car’s been rigged to go up as well.”  
Isaac looked to Rick worriedly.  
“Hey man,” Rick shrugged, “no one’s here, and the van goes up at eight on the dot? I think we need to cut and run this one. I’m sorry.”  
Isaac grit his teeth.  
“Come on, we need to go!” the first officer insisted, obviously stressed as he got back into the driver’s seat.  
“Let’s go,” Isaac relented, quickly getting in.  
Rick got in behind him before the officer closed the door on them. He quickly jumped in himself, and they were soon tearing back down the street with the car lights off – hoping to hide their escape.


	78. 78

When they made it back onto the state route, Isaac noticed they’d turned right.  
“Where are we going?” he asked, having taken this long to calm himself down.  
“Gorman said if anything happened to take you into Kyle,” the driver responded, “apparently there’s some Feds there who know what’s up, so we’ll head for the main station.”  
“Kyle?” Rick looked across at him.  
“I think that’s where he sent Dallas,” Isaac amended, quickly trying Gorman’s number again.  
The call failed. With a groan Isaac quickly went through his contacts in order to call Davison and tell him what had happened, before his cell phone suddenly started going haywire.  
“What the?” he said under his breath, watching the screen colours mash up into something indistinguishable.  
“What is it?” Rick frowned, leaning toward him.  
Isaac showed him the screen.  
“We’ve got interference up here too,” one of the officers was checking his screens.  
Isaac leant forward as far as he could to try and see what was happening.  
“I don’t like the look of this,” he looked back to Rick.  
“Since when do we?” he pointed out, “let’s just hurry and get to Kyle.”  
It was around fifteen minutes later when they pulled off the highway and into suburban Kyle. Less than five and they pulled up at a large set of iron gates topped with barbed wire.  
“You guys big on security down here?” Rick’s eyebrows rose as the gates were opened for them.  
“Something like that,” one of the officers mused.  
“Almost looks like a prison,” Isaac muttered, “is this a prison?”  
“Depends on how you want to look at it I guess,” the two officers shared an amused glance.

*

Taylor barely opened his eyes as he heard the basement door open again. He’d just as soon go back to sleep. He knew he was probably overdosing on the oxygen – his throat couldn’t have been any dryer – but he really didn’t care.  
Only his eyes looked up when he heard the footsteps stop at the cage and the door being unlocked. It was the Texan. Taylor vaguely wondered if it were a day later already.  
He grunted as the mask was pulled away from him before actually trying to lean up on one of his elbows. Only then did he register the cramping in his legs.  
“Come on out,” he heard the Texan’s voice instruct.  
Against his better judgement and struggling to keep his eyes open, Taylor managed to crawl most of the way out before trying to find his feet. The Texan took him by the arm and helped him up before looking him in the eye. He suddenly snapped his fingers in front of his face.  
“Are you awake?” his eyebrows rose.  
“Yes Master,” Taylor replied, having to cough once he’d spoken.  
“I’m taking you back to your room. Do you understand?”  
“Yes Master.”  
“Walk.”  
Taylor stumbled forward as the Texan pulled on the chain, barely aware of his limp anymore. As they passed the foyer on their way through, the main doors burst open and they froze in shock to watch. Four men came through, two dressed as police officers with guns at the ready. In front of them…  
“Ike?” Taylor gasped.


	79. 79

“What is this?” the Texan demanded.  
“Tay?!” Isaac’s eyes widened in shock.  
Taylor’s eyes darted between his brother and the Texan, suddenly a lot more awake.  
“Retrieved, as specified,” one of the ‘officers’ looked confused, “you ordered it.”  
The Texan pulled the silver pistol from his belt. The same one he’d used to shoot Taylor in the leg with.  
“I meant, what is this?” the Texan indicated Rick with it, “who is he?”  
Isaac’s eyes shot to Rick, who gave him a worried glance.  
“He was with him in the car,” the same officer explained, “he’s working the case too.”  
The Texan raised his gun and fired.  
“RICK!” Isaac yelled, ducking over to him.  
He’d barely made it to Rick’s side when he was roughly pulled back by the shoulders. Rick was already gone.  
Taylor had flinched at the shot and hung his head when he realised what had happened. After replacing the gun in his belt the Texan stepped over to the stair rails and secured Taylor’s chain there before making his way over to the trio still standing.  
“Didn’t I tell you I only wanted this one?” he said pointedly, indicating Isaac as he remained being held back.  
Taylor felt his eyes brimming with tears he wasn’t strong enough to hold back, putting two and two together that the meeting that Zac had helped orchestrate must have been that night. He grabbed onto the rail with his hands to steady himself, forcing himself to keep his eyes open and watch the byplay.  
“We had to work the ruse,” the other ‘officer’ shrugged.  
“And Gorman?”  
“Eliminated.”  
The Texan smiled a little.  
“Well at least two things went right tonight.”  
“What do you want?” Isaac said through his teeth trying not to get emotional, mainly for Taylor’s sake, “why am I here?”  
“You haven’t guessed by now?” the Texan seemed amused.  
He pulled the gun again and held it pointed upward.  
“I’m a neat man. I like to clean up after myself.”  
Isaac frowned as he turned back to Taylor, walking back toward the staircase. Even the two posing as officers were starting to look on edge.  
When the Texan made it to Taylor’s side, he made sure he had his attention by waving the gun in front of his eyes. Taylor wished he could rub the tears away but didn’t dare even close them for that long.  
“Remember when I told you that last experience of ours was purely for 353’s benefit?” he asked softly.  
“Yes,” Taylor barely breathed.  
His eyes didn’t leave the gun.  
“Consider this purely for yours,” he said flatly, before turning back and aiming.  
“NO!” Taylor screamed as the trigger was pulled.


	80. 80

Nothing happened.  
Isaac stood stock still as Taylor tried to catch his breath, while the Texan checked his gun over.  
“Well would you look at that?” he turned back to Taylor to show him, “it appears I’m out of bullets.”  
“Please,” Taylor begged, “please don’t kill him. I beg of you, _please_!”  
“Well I can’t now,” the Texan scorned as he put the gun away.  
He turned back to the officer holding Isaac.  
“Secure him in the basement,” he nodded back in its direction, “I’ll deal with him later. And you.”  
He pointed to the other man.  
“Clean this mess up in here.”  
“Yes Sir,” he nodded as Isaac was taken from the room.  
He and Taylor made eye contact but didn’t say a word to each other. Taylor was still trying to process what had just happened.  
The other ‘officer’ began to drag Rick’s body off to the side, grumbling to himself about the blood spots on the floor. Taylor watched until the Texan caught his attention again.  
“I think it will really help the integration process,” he said softly, “if he did die in front of you.”  
That was it, Taylor’s tears fell.  
“Help?” he asked incredulously.  
“Yes,” the Texan went on, “do you remember what I said in Mexico? About the psychological process of becoming a slave?”  
Taylor cringed and rested his head against his hands on the railing as he struggled to think back through the panic enveloping his mind.  
“No,” he eventually realised.  
“Think,” the Texan’s voice grew sterner, “about lives worth fighting for.”  
“You said having my brother involved was a mistake,” Taylor remembered, his voice raspy.  
“And it was.”  
“But you brought Zac and I in together,” Taylor wasn’t sure at this point if his mind was playing tricks on him or if it legitimately didn’t make sense.  
“In this case it’s 353’s progress that is being undermined, not yours,” the Texan seemed to brush over, “by having you here. But in relation to your other brother-“  
“You don’t want me to have anything left to fight for,” Taylor squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, trying to rid himself of the tears welled there.  
“In a sense,” the Texan watched him carefully, “having him here is a stark reminder that you do, is it not?”  
Taylor made eye contact with him for the first in a long time. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to justify the idea of killing Isaac, or if he was playing with him. Either way, Isaac’s life was on the line.  
“I could deal,” he insisted, his mind now playing overtime, “just… please? If there is absolutely _anything_ I can do or say to save him, please tell me now. I’ll do it, I swear. I’ll do anything.”  
“I know you would,” the Texan considered, leaning casually against the stair rail, “but we have a small problem. Either way, your brother isn’t going back to Tulsa.”  
Taylor stared him in the eye, worried about where he was going with this.  
“So the choices we have - unfortunately for you and he – are limited to death, or induction.”  
Taylor immediately cringed again, trying not to lose it entirely.  
“Would you be willing to make that choice?” the Texan inclined his head curiously.


	81. 81

“How about this?” the Texan began amiably as Taylor rested his head on his hands again.  
“We’ll put it off for a couple of days. One of my superiors is coming for a visit. By then, 353 will have moved on and we can focus solely on… Isaac is it?”  
Taylor closed his eyes and didn’t reply. The Texan put his hand on his shoulder which made him open them again.  
“Better yet, he can be your responsibility,” he said decidedly, “until the time comes.”  
“What do you mean?” Taylor frowned, not looking up.  
The Texan gave a short smile before unlocking the chain from the railing. Taylor stood up and quickly rubbed his eyes when he realised they’d be moving.  
“Follow me,” he instructed, beginning to head back toward the basement.  
Taylor followed obediently, keeping his cuffed hands pulled into his chest. Though he wasn’t really paying attention he took the time to look around. The décor – and indeed the layout of the building – was eerily similar to the house in Waco.  
They met the posing officer on his way out.  
“Help me clear the room,” the Texan ordered the moment he saw him, “I’m letting this one loose.”  
Taylor stared in disbelief as the man nodded and retreated back into the basement. The Texan followed, pulling on Taylor’s chain.  
The moment he entered he saw Isaac sitting chained against the same pole Zac had been restrained to, arms above his head and gagged with cloth. A wound at the hairline on his forehead was freshly bleeding.  
Taylor had to hold back the urge to run to him when the Texan suddenly dropped his chain and went to help the other man clear the table and surrounds of anything that could be construed as a weapon. He watched them carefully as they stored everything in the surrounding cupboards, making sure to lock them when they were done. In the end the room was left bare.  
When given the nod the ‘officer’ made to leave as the Texan made his way back to Taylor.  
“Watch him,” he instructed, “you have about a day and a half to make up your mind. Charlie will be in later with some food for you.”  
He gave Isaac a glance before making for the door. The moment it closed behind him Taylor bolted, sliding onto his knees when he got to his brother and quickly untying the gag.  
“Ike? Ike?! Are you okay?!” he fretted, attempting to inspect the wound on his forehead.  
“I’m okay,” Isaac insisted, before hissing as Taylor touched a tender spot.  
“What the Hell happened?” Taylor frowned, starting to use the cloth to clean it up, “we thought Zac got the warning through that it was a trap?”  
“We knew it was a trap,” Isaac admitted, cringing slightly as his brother worked.  
Taylor sat back onto his knees.  
“You knew it was a trap, and you still came?” his brow furrowed, “why would you do that?”  
“Tay it was the only chance I had to get close, I had to take it,” Isaac defended, “we didn’t know it would go so haywire.”  
“So what happened, exactly?” Taylor set to listening.  
Isaac made eye contact for a moment but looked away sheepishly.  
“We had Gorman and some of the New York Feds backing us up,” he began.  
“Who’s Gorman?” Taylor asked, “I heard the name mentioned outside.”  
“He was the head of operations in Washington,” Isaac explained, “they sent him in. He’s dead.”


	82. 82

“So I heard,” Taylor hung his head, “why did they bring him in?”  
“Because he worked the case last year,” Isaac shifted slightly, looking up at the chains on his wrists, “they brought in just about everyone who had anything to do with the trafficking case. Washington, New York, Dallas…”  
“Rick,” Taylor added sullenly.  
“…Yeah. And Rick,” Isaac agreed, “Gorman is the one who identified Krüger.”  
Taylor looked up curiously.  
“Krüger?” his eyebrows rose.  
“Derek Krüger, our host,” Isaac said sardonically, “turns out he’s pretty well known to the Feds.”  
“If he’s so well known, then why can’t they find him? Us?” Taylor asked.  
“Same reason they couldn’t find Nate,” Isaac shrugged, “these guys know how to hide. And they’ve been doing it a long time, too. The Feds have records on Krüger going back to the eighties, and that’s just what they decided to let us in on.”  
“He’s been doing this for that long?” Taylor frowned, looking a little overwhelmed.  
“No, and here’s the good part,” Isaac was being sarcastic again, “he started off as part of the terrorist cell in Europe before he came over to South America and started trafficking.”  
“Terrorist cell?” Taylor repeated, before looking up in shock as it sunk in, “he’s a terrorist? The guy’s a terrorist?!”  
“Not anymore,” Isaac assured, “but he was. They think that’s where he picked up most of his… tricks, I guess for lack of a better word.”  
Taylor sat back heavily onto the floor as he took the time to digest the information.  
“Krüger,” he said the name aloud again, as if trying to get used to it.  
“Tay?” Isaac tried to snap him out of it, “where’s Zac? Is he still here?”  
Taylor took a deep breath and nodded.  
“Yeah, as far as I know he is,” he said softly, “but he doesn’t have much time. They caught him doing the 9-1-1 call and stepped up the training process. He’ll be gone in less than two days.”  
“Dammit,” Isaac hit his head back against the pole, “then we need to figure something out by then.”  
Taylor almost snorted.  
“We?” he said incredulously, “Ike there is absolutely nothing we _can_ do. Don’t you think Zac and I would have tried everything already?”  
He shook his head.  
“We just have to wait it out. Hopefully Carlson’s on it again. He’s the one who found Zac last time.”  
Isaac gulped a little at that.  
“Tay… Davison’s the only one left,” he said suddenly.  
“What do you mean?” Taylor looked confused, “what do you mean ‘the only one’?”  
“I mean they’re all dead,” Isaac couldn’t think of how else to break it to him, “Gorman was just the most recent. Krüger’s been going on a rampage, and he started with the station in Tulsa.”  
Taylor’s eyes searched his brother’s as he thought back to the photo he’d seen.  
“He showed me a photo,” he admitted, “of the aftermath. What… um, who was in there?”  
“Carlson for one,” Isaac thought back, “two of the Washington Feds they sent over. Nelson was in there. Davison was lucky he was a few minutes late for work that day, and Rick… well, I was lucky we didn’t get the call to come in earlier.”  
Taylor rubbed his face with his hands as he tried to process this last round of information.


	83. 83

“What about the New York agents?” Taylor asked, “you said they came in?”  
“There was an explosion at the airport where Krüger took you guys,” Isaac explained, “most of them were wiped out there. The ones that survived were in the SWAT van with Gorman tonight.”  
Taylor hesitated thoughtfully, obviously beginning to panic a little.  
“Dallas,” he said suddenly, “what about the Dallas Feds? The ones that raided Waco? We’re in Texas, right?”  
“The Dallas task force is about all we have to hope for,” Isaac nodded, “Gorman sent them here to Kyle, figuring they’d be needed once we got a location. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but they are here nonetheless.”  
“You were brought here in a cop car, right?” Taylor asked, “the guys, they were dressed as officers?”  
“Yeah that’s how they tricked us into getting into the car,” Isaac smirked.  
“So if Davison’s paying attention he just needs to turn the low jack on and trace it here,” Taylor insisted, suddenly a lot more hopeful, “I mean they tracked us before, they just need to watch the highway footage… get the specifics on the car, and trace it.”  
Isaac stared at him for a moment.  
“Great idea,” he said finally, “let’s hope they think of it. Considering I don’t think he knew where the meet was, and they were expecting multiple patrol cars to be in the area at the time so pinning down the one that’s not really helmed by cops is gonna be…”  
“If they weren’t real cops,” Taylor cut in, “and for our sake I really hope they weren’t, but that means the squad car was stolen. Even more reason to track it.”  
“Did Zac tell you where the phone was?” Isaac asked hopefully.  
Taylor leant away from him, immediately shaking his head.  
“Oh no, no no no,” he insisted.  
“But if we could somehow tell Davison what happened, then he’d know to turn the low jack on,” Isaac pointed out.  
“No,” Taylor scorned, “I’m not taking that chance. If I screw up, you die. I am not living with that.”  
“So don’t get caught,” Isaac gave him an incredulous look.  
Taylor returned it.  
“Ike it is not worth the risk,” he said sternly, “you just watched him blow away a good friend of ours. You’re asking me to risk having to watch him do that to you.”  
Isaac rolled his eyes before looking up at his hands which were turning red from lack of blood flow.  
“What do you think he’s going to do with me anyway?” he asked dejectedly, “I heard what he said before he took the shot. It was for your benefit? He wants you to watch me die.”  
Taylor hesitated before looking down at the cuffs still on his wrists.  
“He’s giving me a choice,” he shook some hair out of his eyes, “which is why I think I’m here and not locked away somewhere away from you.”  
“What do you mean?” Isaac frowned, watching him.  
Taylor gave him a nervous glance before avoiding eye contact again.  
“Once you left the room,” he began carefully, “he told me that one of his superiors is coming in two days. That Zac would be gone by then. And that we – or I – have until then to decide.”  
“Decide what?” Isaac’s eyes darted.  
“Whether or not you get inducted into the program. With us,” Taylor gulped slightly, “or he just kills you straight out.”


	84. 84

“He said there’s no way you’re going home, but he’s at least given us a choice,” Taylor was back to fretting, “I think we need to take it.”  
“You believe him?” Isaac asked, almost frozen on the spot.  
“Yeah I do,” Taylor nodded, “he’s never lied to me. Ever. And he’s certainly not trigger shy.”  
He shifted so he could bring his knee up in front of him, showing off his bandage. Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“He shot you?” he asked.  
“Because I wouldn’t kneel,” Taylor pulled a face as he let his knee fall to the side again and sat up cross-legged, “if you ever take any of my advice? Once you enter the program, just do as he says.”  
“When I enter the program?” Isaac frowned.  
“I’m sorry, was I supposed to give you the chance to argue about trying to keep you alive?” Taylor asked sarcastically.  
“I just can’t believe you’re giving up.”  
“This isn’t giving up, this is survival,” Taylor was getting a sense of déjà vu, “look I had the same sort of conversation with Zac. There comes a point when the best you can hope for, is to stay alive. We are at that point. As far as staying alive goes, you only have to do what you’re told.”  
“Only,” Isaac couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  
“So far they haven’t asked anything of us that we couldn’t do,” Taylor pointed out, “I mean sure, there’s a little leeway with personal boundaries at times, but-“  
“Tay? You are my brother, and I love you. But shut up,” Isaac said suddenly, “you’re starting to sound like one of them.”  
Taylor hesitated, taken aback.  
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing considering our current situation,” he said after a moment.  
“Are you kidding me?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed.  
“No think about it,” Taylor shuffled himself, moving the chain out of his way as he did, “we need to think like them in order to figure out what they want. In my case I know what they – he – wants from me, but we don’t know exactly what they want from you yet.”  
Isaac closed his eyes and leant back against the pole, officially confused. Taylor wasn’t helping.  
“If the past is anything to go by, they’d want to sell me, right?” he said.  
“I don’t know,” Taylor shrugged, “he doesn’t want to sell me.”  
“But you were already sold?” Isaac frowned.  
“And… repossessed, I guess,” Taylor pulled a face at the word, “now he wants to keep me for himself.”  
“Lucky you.”  
Taylor smirked.  
“Could be worse I guess,” he admitted.  
“Oh this should be good,” Isaac’s eyebrows rose, “what could possibly be worse than being a terrorist’s bitch?”  
“I could be back with Nate,” Taylor lay his hands in his lap.  
Isaac winced at the mention of the name. Taylor noticed.  
“What?” he asked, “did something happen? He’s been mentioned.”  
“No, no,” Isaac assured, “nothing like that. I ah… I went and saw him.”  
“You what?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose, “Ike, you saw Nate?”


	85. 85

“Yeah,” Isaac looked a bit sheepish, “I did.”  
“How? Why?” Taylor frowned, obviously on edge at the subject.  
“I figured if anyone knew anything about Krüger, he would,” Isaac shrugged, “and he did kinda help.”  
“Nate? Helping you?” Taylor couldn’t help but laugh, “since when? And why? What would he possibly have to gain by doing that? He knows he’s never getting out of there.”  
“I don’t know,” Isaac shrugged, “and he didn’t so much help as give us a hint. You remember how Carlson rescued all those people in Waco where we found Zac?”  
“The hole. Not likely to forget that place anytime soon,” Taylor nodded, “I know… Charlie told me they tracked everyone down. That’s how I figured out they had Zac.”  
“You didn’t know they had Zac?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“I wasn’t sure, I didn’t see him for a long time,” Taylor looked to the ceiling, “I was kinda hoping he’d gotten away somehow.”  
“What happened?” Isaac’s voice went a bit softer, “I thought you were getting out? I swear I was only five minutes away.”  
“I ran,” Taylor rubbed his face, “like you said. I made it to the car and he got me with a sedative before I could even get the keys in.”  
“Zac must have put up a fight,” Isaac reasoned, “they found blood in his car.”  
“His car?” Taylor frowned, “why would-?”  
He cut off as they heard the door being unlocked. Taylor immediately shuffled back so that he was sitting beside Isaac, the chain snaking out on the ground in front of him. When he saw that it was Charlie with his food for the day he sighed in relief.  
Charlie closed the door behind him and silently made his way to the table with the plate.  
“This is Charlie,” Taylor informed Isaac, “he’s… my predecessor I guess?”  
Charlie looked up curiously at the introduction.  
“Your predecessor?” Isaac’s brow furrowed.  
“This is my brother Isaac,” Taylor explained to Charlie, “the one I was trying to ask about.”  
Charlie gave him a nod in greeting, but neglected to say a word.  
“You’re the one that was driving Zac’s car,” Isaac suddenly realised.  
“What?” Taylor looked to him in surprise.  
“We were tracking Zac’s car and a black Mercedes,” Isaac explained, “Krüger was driving the Mercedes, and this guy was driving Zac’s. They dumped the car in Peoria and blew it up.”  
Taylor looked up at Charlie, who was beckoning for him to join him at the table. He hesitated, but carefully stood and took up the chain before making his way over.  
“Is that true?” he asked when he got there.  
“I would advise not letting the master hear you speak his name aloud,” Charlie said softly as he uncovered the sandwich he’d managed to salvage for Taylor.  
“I wouldn’t dare,” Taylor promised, “especially not now.”  
Charlie stood back from the table before turning to head for the door.  
“I will return shortly.”  
Taylor looked back at Isaac who was looking at him expectantly. He just shrugged and waited until Charlie had disappeared before going for the sandwich.  
“Are you hungry?” he offered, “at the moment I only get something once a day.”  
“No,” Isaac scorned, leaning back again.


	86. 86

Zac looked up as Charlie re-entered the kitchen with the empty plate. He passed it over and Zac set to washing it.  
“You have done well today,” he said approvingly, “the master would like to evaluate your progress tonight.”  
“Okay,” Zac replied softly, not entirely sure what that meant.  
He could barely keep his eyes open, not having completely recovered from the torment of the night before.  
Charlie stood and watched as he finished up before starting to help him dry off. Once they were done, Zac had to stand and wait as Charlie fetched the key to unlock his chain from where it had been secured around the end of the counter. That done, he was led into the living room where the Texan was already comfortable in his armchair and reading the paper. Zac couldn’t help but glance at what he could see of the headlines, feeling very cut off from the rest of the world already.  
Charlie indicated the floor in front of the chair and Zac knelt obediently. Stepping over to set the end of the chain on the Texan’s armrest, he stepped aside once it was done and settled into his own corner.  
The Texan folded his paper before taking up the chain and running it through his fingers. Zac kept his eyes to the carpet.  
“Today has been a large stepping stone on the path forward,” the Texan began, “and it’s just as well. We only have one day left.”  
Zac grimaced internally, wondering what the next twenty-four hours would bring him.  
“So here’s what we’re going to do,” he leant forward a little, noticing that Zac didn’t even flinch, “you’ve had enough time playing Charlie’s aid. As of tomorrow morning, you will take on all the duties you’ve learned yourself. Is that clear?”  
“Yes Master,” Zac replied, quiet but firm.  
“Charlie will oversee you, but he is forbidden to assist. He will also keep you restrained as he has done so today,” the Texan spared the older man a glance.  
“Yes Master.”  
“Confirm only if I ask you to.”  
Zac flinched a little, but kept quiet.  
“If all goes well, you’ll be on your way by this time tomorrow.”  
Zac froze, suddenly feeling like this had come on way too fast. On the one hand he would be glad to put this place behind him forever. On the other… it meant possibly never seeing his family again, and he had no idea of where he might possibly be headed. He barely even knew where Kyle was on a map.  
“Stand up,” the Texan ordered.  
Zac glanced over his shoulder at where Charlie was before obliging.  
“Charlie? Settle him in for the night, then return here. I’d like to speak with you.”  
“Yes Master,” Charlie nodded, coming forward to take the chain that was offered.  
“I will see you bright and early,” the Texan was looking Zac straight in the eye.  
Zac didn’t respond, but followed Charlie as he was led from the room. He was taken back up to the master bedroom, sent to the bathroom, and then restrained to the bed end as he had been previously. Charlie soon took his leave.  
Sitting down against the end of the bed, he quietly waited for the two men to return and retire.


	87. 87

Isaac yawned as Taylor paced in front of him.  
“Krüger,” he’d said aloud a few times over, checking every now and then to make sure they were still alone, “Derek Krüger.”  
“Tay? Can you please stop pacing?” Isaac had put up with it for maybe half an hour before asking.  
“This is the most freedom I’ve had since I’ve been here, I need to make the most of it,” Taylor insisted before scoffing, “I barely know what to do with it.”  
“Well my first move would have been to check the cupboards, but that’s just me,” Isaac shrugged.  
Taylor immediately looked uneasy.  
“Ike…” he shook his head.  
“I know, I know. You don’t want to try anything in case you get me killed,” Isaac rolled his eyes, “but on the other hand, if he has an arsenal in there, we could use it to bust our way out. Then they couldn’t kill me if they decided to after all.”  
Taylor kept his eye on his brother as he continued pacing.  
“And if we get caught?” he raised an eyebrow, “or if he realises I somehow messed with the locks?”  
Isaac groaned inwardly, realising he wasn’t getting anywhere.  
“Can’t you at least try?” he asked, “if not for me, for our families?”  
Taylor froze on the spot. While Isaac was glad he’d at least stopped pacing, he wasn’t sure if his words had had the intended effect.  
“What happens to Nikki and the boys if you die?” Taylor asked suddenly.  
“What happens to them if we disappear forever?” Isaac responded in kind, “what happens then?”  
“I don’t think we will,” Taylor seemed to consider, “and I don’t know. Maybe I will. It’s Krüger’s job to make sure people like me don’t go anywhere.”  
He ran his hands up and down the chain as he spoke.  
“But you? And Zac? You have a chance, if only a small one, to get away from him. Outside this place, away from him, it’s much easier. Believe me.”  
“Says he with the scars covering his back,” Isaac couldn’t help himself.  
“Ike I never told anyone this, because I was afraid of what the reaction would be,” Taylor began cautiously, “but when I was in Mexico, I had a chance to get away. I just didn’t take it.”  
Isaac paused, shocked at the revelation. Knowing his brother was going to be sensitive about it, he tried to be careful about his response.  
“What happened?” he asked, not coming up with anything else.  
Taylor gave him a glance and started pacing again.  
“The house was raided by rebels, and I had to take the kids down to the cellar to hide. There was gunfire everywhere,” he recalled, trying not to get emotional about it, “and these two guys with masks and rifles came down and found me. They knew who I was, and they said that people had been looking for me. They took me outside – they didn’t find the kids – and… one of them got shot.”  
He hesitated as he recalled the next part.  
“By Juan. And I saw him, so I fought with the other guy and he got shot too. After that I went straight back to the cellar and I didn’t look back.”  
“So you could have run?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“I could have run,” Taylor nodded, “but I didn’t. It won their trust, but that was only a couple of days before Nate showed up and…”  
“And you ran out of time,” Isaac understood.


	88. 88

“How are you still functioning?” Isaac held back another yawn, “it must be long past midnight.”  
“Midnight?” Taylor frowned as he concentrated, “I could have sworn it was midday. I don’t know, we never see daylight and there’s no clocks anywhere so it’s hard to tell.”  
“I bet that’s on purpose,” Isaac muttered.  
“It’s all about control,” Taylor shrugged before feeling Isaac flinch, “sorry. Besides, I spent most of yesterday unconscious as far as I know.”  
“I swear you’re going to break my hands,” Isaac clenched his fists.  
“Keep your hands open,” Taylor instructed as he struggled with the chains, “would you rather they never worked again?”  
“You are not breaking my hands,” Isaac said sternly.  
“I’m not,” Taylor assured, “just pointing out there’s a worse alternative. Besides, I was suspended by the wrists for a lot longer than you’ve been here and I survived.”  
Isaac had to yell out as Taylor suddenly yanked on one of the chains, catching a fold of skin on his wrist.  
“There,” he said finally, “try that. You’ll need to twist as you get up.”  
Isaac looked up but couldn’t see that anything was different. Still he did as Taylor suggested and managed to twist up onto one knee. Already he felt the blood flowing a little easier to his hands and he breathed a sigh of relief.  
“Thanks,” he looked across at Taylor who’d sat back onto the floor.  
“No problem,” Taylor clasped his hands together over his knees, “I had to do a similar thing in Mexico once.”  
“You said you were down here with Zac, right?” Isaac asked, changing the subject.  
“Right,” Taylor nodded.  
“So… was most of that time unconscious?”  
“No. Or I don’t know,” Taylor looked confused, “I don’t know how long I was out, but when I woke up in that cage over there Zac had been beaten up pretty bad. So at least long enough for that to happen and for the guy to leave.”  
“Wow there is so much wrong with that statement,” Isaac looked to the ceiling as Taylor just frowned, “how would you even fit in that thing?”  
Taylor looked over his shoulder toward it.  
“It actually wasn’t too bad,” he regretted saying it the moment it came out and quickly tried to cover himself, “in the sense that he left me alone, I mean. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve… and I guess what Zac has been through already.”  
Isaac had been caught off guard by what he said and was trying to think of a response when he kept going.  
“Actually you’d know what day it was,” Taylor said thoughtfully before looking up at his brother, “how long have we been gone?”  
“Ah…” Isaac struggled to think, “about a week I think? A lot has happened.”  
“A week,” Taylor nodded, lowering his eyes again, “feels a lot longer than that.”  
“Time flies when you’re having fun?” Isaac suggested.  
“Yeah,” Taylor mused.  
“So how am I expected to sleep here?” Isaac looked the chains over from his new vantage point.  
“You’re probably not,” Taylor shrugged, “he’s not big on the hospitality thing.”


	89. 89

What must have been the early hours of the following morning, Isaac was jolted awake by the door opening. He was back in his original position against the pole, and realised he must have fallen asleep while talking to Taylor. Taylor had remained awake, sitting silent watch as his brother slept.  
When Krüger was the first to enter, Taylor immediately pulled himself to his knees.  
“I have a surprise for you two,” he announced, making his way over to them, “stand.”  
Taylor rushed to obey as Isaac eyed the still-open door. Taylor held the chain out for Krüger to take, wondering what he was going to do. His surprises always seemed to be life-threatening.  
He gulped a little as he was pulled back toward the cage and instructed to get inside. He glanced back at Isaac but didn’t hesitate, pulling the chain in with him again before Krüger padlocked it shut. After reassessing Isaac’s chains to make sure he wasn’t going anywhere, he stepped over in front of the table and pulled the pistol from his belt.  
“Bring him in,” he called out.  
Taylor twisted himself around so that he could see the door. When Krüger’s lackey pushed someone through the door in handcuffs, both Hanson jaws almost hit the floor.  
“Davison?!” Isaac frowned, eyes darting to Taylor as he almost knocked the cage over in his attempt to completely turn around in it.  
“I’m sorry,” Davison shook his head, trying to hold back tears.  
He was sporting a large bruise across his cheek and one of his eyes had swollen. There looked to be blood on his uniform but they couldn’t see any visible wounds. Taylor desperately wanted to ask if he was okay, but he wasn’t game enough to say anything aloud in Krüger’s company just yet.  
Davison was forced to his knees in the middle of the floor before the lackey stood back and also produced a gun. One that looked suspiciously like Davison’s own.  
“Tell them how we found you,” Krüger said calmly, casually leaning back against the table.  
“Davison what happened?!” Isaac didn’t lose the frown.  
“There was an ambush… at the station,” Davison looked between the brothers and Krüger as he struggled to keep his head up, “after what happened to Gorman I came down to meet with the Dallas Feds. Boys I’m sorry… they didn’t make it either.”  
Taylor covered his mouth with his hands as Isaac just stared in shock.  
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he barely breathed.  
“He’s not,” Krüger confirmed before aiming his gun.  
“WAIT!” Taylor broke his silence to cry out.  
Both Krüger and the lackey fired one after the other, Davison collapsing forward onto his chest.  
“Holy crap,” Isaac was panting as Taylor just hit the side of the cage in frustration and sat back again.  
“Clean this up,” Krüger ordered the other man before putting his pistol away.  
His lackey took hold of Davison by the ankles and began dragging him out of the basement.  
“Now that we truly have your undivided attention,” Krüger began, turning back to the Hansons, “we can get back down to business without any distractions.”  
Isaac just glared up at him as Taylor kept his eyes down, trying not to let this new fear overwhelm him.  
“I’ll be back for your decision this afternoon,” Krüger gave Taylor a pointed look before turning to leave.  
Isaac watched after him as he closed the door, before gritting his teeth and closing his eyes tiredly.


	90. 90

“So this is really it,” Taylor’s voice broke, “there’s literally no one else out there to look for us.”  
“Come on, you really think our wives would give up that easy?” Isaac pointed out.  
“Ike… Nate got into my house last time. What would possibly make you think that these guys couldn’t?” Taylor looked over at him, his eyes red, “they could threaten them, they could… I don’t know, they could be doing anything and we wouldn’t know about it unless they wanted us to.”  
Isaac couldn’t think of anything to say to that. Now that he was definitely more awake he twisted himself to get up onto his knee again in order to get some feeling back into his hands. On his knee he was facing Taylor, and he could see how red his face had gone.  
“Still not ready to give up though, right?” he made sure.  
Taylor didn’t look up, but shook his head all the same.  
“Where there’s life there’s hope,” he said softly before rubbing his eyes.  
“Glad to hear you say that,” Isaac nodded to himself, “though while under normal circumstances I would egg on your optimism-“  
“No you wouldn’t,” Taylor scoffed.  
“…You’re right, I wouldn’t. But I would still love to know who to turn to if we do ever get out of this place.”  
Taylor looked up at the opposite wall as he thought.  
“Do you think either Washington or New York would put more agents on the case?” he asked suddenly, “considering their guys keep getting killed?”  
“This is the government we’re talking about, I doubt they’re going to back down to the likes of Krüger,” Isaac shrugged, “but I also doubt their focus is going to be any more on getting us out of here than it is on just stopping him.”  
Taylor nodded, knowing what he meant.  
“And if he dies, I die,” he said under his breath.  
“What?” Isaac shot him a look.  
“Nothing,” Taylor sighed, shifting himself so that he could lay down again.  
“Oh no, I did hear that,” Isaac insisted, “explain yourself.”  
Taylor groaned as he finally lay down, keeping his eyes open and toward his brother.  
“Something Charlie said,” he explained, “that if Krüger ever died, we’d outlive our worth. We’d be killed.”  
“That’s… messed up,” Isaac shook his head, “they wouldn’t resell you or something?”  
“That’s what I thought, but apparently not,” Taylor shrugged his free shoulder, “maybe because we’re supposed to be specifically trained for him – to serve him – and they wouldn’t bother going through the process again.”  
“So why didn’t you go back to Mexico?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed at Taylor’s stare.  
“Because he killed her,” Taylor replied straight, “my contract specified that if she died, I became the property of the company again. So he took me for himself.”  
“So it’s a contractual thing?” Isaac was trying to understand.  
“I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone or not,” Taylor reasoned, “and I only got a quick glance at mine before he shot her.”  
Isaac winced as he realised the death had happened in front of his brother. Then he paused.  
“The blood stains outside the cage at the airport. Was that…?” he asked carefully.  
“That was her, yeah,” Taylor replied softly.


	91. 91

“Come,” Charlie instructed.  
Zac followed obediently as Charlie took his chain, leading him back upstairs from the kitchen. Zac had overheard the instruction in the dining room to ‘get him ready’ when they were done washing up, and was already wondering what that would entail.  
They came to the master bedroom and Charlie made his way to the restraint cupboard. Zac watched him fetch some cloths before making his way to the end of the bed and fetching the padlock that had restrained him there the past two nights.  
“You will need your hands behind you,” Charlie instructed.  
Zac turned and held them behind him, feeling the padlock being secured to the cuffs. When that was done he made to turn back, but Charlie held his shoulder to keep him still. Holding back a roll of his eyes he waited for whatever Charlie was going to do before something black passed over his eyes and he felt the cloth go into his mouth.  
Closing his eyes as it was tied together at the back, he took a few deep breaths through his nose. When Charlie was done he took his shoulder again to turn him back around.  
“Can you breathe?” he checked, running a finger underneath the cloth against his cheek.  
Zac nodded in response, knowing that gagging him had been an issue in the past. Charlie waited a moment to make sure he was being truthful before collecting two more cloths from the cupboard and closing it when he was done.  
“Come,” he said again, taking the chain and starting to lead him from the room.  
Zac followed as he was taken back downstairs, meeting the Texan at the foot of the stairwell.  
“They’re here,” he said, more to Charlie than to Zac, “prep him here.”  
Charlie nodded, readying the other cloths. Zac didn’t have time to prepare himself before one was tied around his eyes, and he suddenly felt a hood going over his head.  
“Kneel,” he heard the Texan order.  
Feeling like he was ready to fall over, Zac gladly obliged. It was barely moments before he heard the main doors opening and multiple footsteps entering.  
“Afternoon,” he heard the Texan’s voice in greeting.  
“The trainer, I presume?” came a deep voice in response.  
“Yes…” the Texan sounded slighted, “353, as promised.”  
“You had some issues?” Zac heard footsteps approaching him and flinched as he felt a hand on his head.  
“Several. He should be mostly under control, but if there are any problems you’re welcome to give me a call,” Zac could hear the hint in the Texan’s tone, “I happen to have some handy leverage on standby for this one.”  
“And his medication?”  
“You’ll be supplied with enough to keep him going indefinitely.”  
There was a pause where Zac couldn’t hear anything but light scratching.  
“It’s about time,” the deeper voice came again, “we’ve been waiting for this one.”  
“I do apologise on behalf of the company,” the Texan assured, “we’ve had our share of mishaps.”  
Zac felt a sudden pull on the chain and scrambled to find his feet.  
“Victor? Pay the man.”  
Zac heard some rustling before the chain was pulled and he felt himself being led to the door.  
“Enjoy,” came the Texan’s voice from behind him before the doors closed.


	92. 92

Taylor felt his heart skip a beat when the basement door opened once again. Isaac quickly sat down, replacing his hands above his head before Krüger could see what he’d been doing. Just in time as Krüger came through the door with his lackey in tow.  
“Time’s up,” he announced, making Taylor push himself up in the cage.  
He looked across at Isaac who just stared back at him. Krüger made his way to the cage and unlocked the padlock before opening the door. The lackey went to reopen the cupboards in the background.  
“Out,” Krüger instructed, taking up Taylor’s chain.  
Taylor felt his face flush red as he crawled out, unsure of whether he should stand or not. He compromised by kneeling in front of him.  
“Have you made your decision?” he asked, as if he were speaking to a child.  
“Yes Master,” Taylor stared up at him, Isaac cringing as his brother’s use of the word.  
“I’ll do it,” he assured, looking between them.  
“Your life is no longer your own,” the Texan held a finger up to Isaac, “it hasn’t been since you walked through my doors. This is purely his decision now.”  
Taylor looked to Isaac and gulped.  
“Well?” the Texan prompted, taking up the slack in the chain and making Taylor look up again.  
“Yes,” Taylor’s voice almost failed him, “he’ll enter the program.”  
“Good,” Krüger smiled a little.  
He turned slightly as the other man brought something to him. Taking it from him, he turned back to Taylor and dropped the chain.  
“Put this on him.”  
Taylor’s eyes widened as they fell on the collar – a replica of the ones he and Zac wore. He looked up at Krüger again to check if he was serious. His face lost colour when he realised that he was.  
“Take it,” Krüger ordered sternly.  
Recognising it as an order, Taylor immediately reached up for it. As he took it into his hands, he looked across at Isaac. Isaac could see the fear in his eyes at having to take part in enforcing something that had taken such a profound effect on himself in the past, and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring look.  
The silent exchange between the two was interrupted by Krüger clearing his throat.  
“Today, preferably. We don’t have all night.”  
Taylor gulped as he fumbled with the latch on the collar, shifting on his knees to get closer to Isaac.  
“Tay?” Isaac ducked his head a little as he tried to make eye contact, “Tay, it’s okay.”  
Taylor glanced up at him with tears in his eyes yet again.  
“Do it,” Taylor jumped as Krüger spoke again.  
Isaac waited patiently as Taylor obviously struggled with the task, but in the end the collar was fastened around his neck. Isaac leant back against the pole as Taylor sat back onto his legs and rubbed his eyes.  
“Now,” Taylor jumped again as Krüger spoke while pulling on the chain, “take this one upstairs and get him cleaned up in time for our guest’s arrival.”  
Taylor looked up to see the lackey coming to grab the chain and quickly got to his feet.  
“I’m sorry,” he quickly whispered to Isaac as he was pulled from the room.  
“It’s okay Tay, I promise!” Isaac called after him, suddenly left alone with Krüger.


	93. 93

By the time Taylor got to the upstairs bathroom he felt like he was well on the way to a complete mental breakdown.  
“Here,” the lackey pulled on the chain, making Taylor stand directly in front of him.  
He unlocked the chain, and then the cuffs. When he was done he opened the bathroom door and stepped aside.  
“There’s a change of clothes in there,” he grunted, as if he had a million better places to be.  
Taylor stepped through and waited as the door closed behind him, glad more than anything to be alone for the moment. He went to turn the shower on and began to get undressed, managing to hold himself together until he was under the water.  
Hugging himself he stood with his forehead against the tiles and finally let it all out.

*

“Welcome to the program, 356,” Krüger mused as he made his way to one of the cupboards.  
He pulled out a box and made his way back to the table.  
“356?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose, “what happened to the other two?”  
“You are no longer authorised to ask questions,” Krüger said absently as he set the box on the table and pulled out some wrist cuffs, “if you need to know anything, you will be told.”  
Isaac frowned, realising this might be harder than he’d originally thought to get through. Krüger knelt in front of him and began securing the cuffs around his wrists. He paused for a moment with his hand on the chains and Isaac panicked for a moment that he was inspecting whatever Taylor had done to them, but he simply unlocked them and used the lock to secure the cuffs together instead.  
“Kneel,” he ordered as he stood again, placing the chains on the table.  
Barely believing he was conforming so easily – but keeping in mind the look on Taylor’s face when he’d been pulled from the room – Isaac pulled himself up onto his knees. Stiff from having spent almost twenty-four hours in the same position against the pole, his legs were relieved at the change in movement.  
“So you believe you take this on freely?” Krüger rummaged through the box as he spoke.  
“Yes Sir,” Isaac wasn’t entirely sure of his definition of the word ‘freely’.  
“We’ll begin with formal introduction,” Krüger spared him a glance as he set a Taser on the table, “you will only know me as your ‘master’, not by my name – which I am aware that you know – and not by ‘Sir’ or any other formal address. Your vocabulary will entirely consist of ‘yes’ or ‘no’, unless you are specifically asked to elaborate. Do you understand?”  
Isaac frowned as he digested it.  
“Yes,” he nodded after a short silence.  
“You will also address me in your answers,” Krüger was getting a sense of déjà vu - there was no mistaking they were brothers, “so try again. Do you understand?”  
“Yes Master,” Isaac gave in immediately, closing his eyes for a moment.  
“Good boy,” Krüger said condescendingly, garnering an unnoticed glare from Isaac, “and for our first order of business, I’d like you to remove your wedding ring.”  
Isaac clenched his teeth, having forgotten about that part. Remembering the story of what had happened to Taylor the first time he’d been asked to relinquish his, he carefully began trying to remove it. It was a tight fit, but he eventually pulled it free and handed it over.  
“A good start,” Krüger nodded, standing to throw it into the box, “you’re already doing much better than the other two.”


	94. 94

Taylor jumped as there was a sudden knock at the door. He knew he’d already been in there for far too long.  
He quickly reached over and turned off the water, managing to grab a towel before the door opened and Charlie poked his head through.  
“I won’t be long,” Taylor assured, his voice back to croaking.  
“I have replacement leathers and bandages,” Charlie nodded, before closing the door again.  
Taylor watched to make sure it wasn’t going to open again before rushing to dry himself off and get changed. He found the usual grey pants sitting on the counter, along with a plain black tee as opposed to the blue button-down he’d been given last time. Wondering at the change (and noting that it was a much less formal uniform for his surroundings) he quickly dressed before opening the door for Charlie.  
Charlie entered the bathroom and set his medical kit onto the counter as Taylor continued drying off his hair. When he’d also set the collar and cuffs down, Taylor threw the towel aside and leant over the basin so that the shorter man could reach the back of the collar. He soon had it off and replaced with its dry counterpart. Grabbing the towel again to dry around where the wet one had been, Taylor eyed the cuffs as Charlie indicated for him to give him his wrists.  
Eyes darting for a moment, Taylor obediently held out his wrists, careful to keep the underside facing upward. Knowing that was where they came together, he watched closely as Charlie set the key onto the left one and twisted. Trying to hide his frown, Taylor realised the key didn’t even penetrate the clasp. But he still wasn’t entirely sure how it was unlocking.  
He watched Charlie unlock the other one before it hit. The locks were magnetised. Now trying to hide his look of realisation, he let Charlie replace them both before taking a seat on the small stool beside the basin.  
“This may cause some pain,” Charlie began as he knelt in front of him and began cutting away the bandage on his leg.  
“I know,” Taylor confirmed with a nod, grabbing the towel again to continue drying his hair and distract himself.  
He had to grab onto the basin with his left hand when Charlie began pulling the bandage away from the wound on the front, taking a lot of dried blood along with it. Panting as he recovered, he kept a hold as he knew the wound at the back would result in much the same reaction.  
Once Charlie had it off he inspected both sides to make sure neither were getting infected. Satisfied with the result, he once again covered both sides in the previously used painful chemical before re-bandaging the leg. That done, he packed up the med kit and quickly cleaned the bathroom over.  
“Come,” he said softly when he was done, opening the door and leading the way out.  
Taylor set the towel aside and followed him out, once again with a bit of a limp. Charlie made his way into the master bedroom to put away his small kit, and Taylor froze in the doorway of the room. The room – as far as he could tell – was absolutely identical to the one in Waco. It sent a shiver down his spine as he eyed the end of the bed, knowing now what he hadn’t last time.  
Charlie soon returned and led Taylor back to the staircase. They only got about a third of the way down when Taylor paused. Standing at the bottom were Krüger and three other people.  
“Come on down, don’t be shy,” the man in the black suit coaxed when he spotted him.  
Taylor eyed where Charlie had reached the bottom and stepped up beside Krüger. Taking a moment to gather himself, Taylor cautiously followed suit.


	95. 95

“Why don’t we take this someplace a little more formal?” the man in the suit suggested as Taylor looked over his company.  
There was a young woman practically hanging from one shoulder whose eyes had been plastered to Taylor the moment he’d appeared. With her silken dress, heels and silver jewellery she looked like she belonged on the cover of a Victoria’s Secret catalogue rather than standing in the lobby of a former terrorist. When she noticed Taylor eyeing her off, she gave him a flirtatious wink.  
The other man keeping his company was very heavily restrained. Taylor couldn’t tell how old he was because practically half his face was covered by his gag, and his arms were held behind his back in some kind of binder. The collar adorning his neck was similar to Taylor and Charlie’s, but held no chain.  
“The dining hall?” Krüger suggested, stepping aside.  
“Kathryn? Go play,” the man nodded.  
She grinned and eyed Taylor again.  
“Yes Master,” she whispered before disappearing down one of the halls.  
“Stay out of the basement!” Krüger called after her as Taylor blanched at her reference to the man.  
He hadn’t been expecting that.  
“Jack? Come,” the man instructed as Krüger began leading the way through.  
Charlie didn’t move, waiting until his master had gone past. Taylor opted to stay by his side as he didn’t really know what was going on, but jumped when the man in the suit put a hand on his shoulder blade to coax him inward.  
“You too,” he insisted.  
Taylor gave Charlie a worried glance but also stepped into the dining room. He was glad when he saw Charlie making his way in behind him, but when he saw that the room was also a replica of the one in Waco his brow furrowed again.  
“Why are they here?” Krüger asked under his breath as he took a seat at the table.  
“Because I want them here,” the suited man took up the head of the table where Krüger usually sat.  
Taylor felt Krüger’s eyes on him but kept his to the floor. He stood back against the side wall in between Charlie and Jack, keeping his arms folded protectively around his waist.  
“I’ll cut to the chase. I’m here because my brother isn’t exactly happy with you right now,” the man began, sitting back into the chair.  
Taylor gave him a glance at the mention of the word ‘brother’.  
“If this is about Tulsa-“  
“The police department, and the airport. Oh and… let’s not forget the random Austin street,” the man scorned, “what could you possibly think gives you the right to just go ahead and blow things up? You don’t think people are going to be asking some very pointed questions?”  
“With all due respect, Seth,” Krüger’s voice lowered, “you are attempting to reprimand me in front of a trainee.”  
“I am well aware of who he is,” Seth gave Taylor a glance, “and I’d like a chance to speak to him when this is over.”  
Taylor felt his face go red as Krüger began to protest.  
“I don’t care what you think,” Seth hit back, “you seem to suddenly think you’re running the show. Do we need to get Connor on a conference call to settle this once and for all?”  
“No, there’s no need for that,” Krüger assured between his teeth.


	96. 96

Seth continued to lay down the law with Krüger for a good twenty minutes or so. Taylor found the dynamic between them interesting to say the least, he’d never encountered anyone higher up the ladder than Krüger himself. A few names were mentioned – Connor came up a few times for example – but despite his air of indifference Seth also seemed to be careful in some cases about what was said in front of their charges. Taylor retained as much as he could.  
When they came to an agreement, mainly due to Krüger’s clean up being done with anyway, Krüger stood in order to show his guests out.  
“Leave me alone with this one,” Seth insisted without moving, absently indicating Taylor.  
Krüger hesitated as Jack spared him a look.  
“Fine,” Krüger couldn’t help but grit his teeth as he took his leave, “Charlie, come.”  
Taylor darted looks between the two as Krüger made his way around to him.  
“Do as he says,” he ordered with a pointed look.  
“Yes Master,” Taylor’s voice once again faltered.  
He took a deep breath as Krüger and Charlie left the room, wondering what this man could possibly want with him. He remembered Krüger warning him that one of his superiors was coming, but he’d thought it had been more in reference to Zac leaving about the same time.  
“Come here,” Seth indicated with two fingers as he stood from Krüger’s chair.  
Taylor shot Jack a nervous glance before obeying. He came to rest a couple of feet in front of the much shorter man, leaving a small amount of personal space around himself. It didn’t last long as Seth stepped forward and took hold of his chin, making him look up from the floor.  
“So this is the late, great, Jordan Taylor Hanson.”  
Taylor flinched as if he’d been hit and had to take a step back.  
“Relax,” Seth cooed, stepping to the side a little.  
Taylor took in a sharp breath as he recovered. He didn’t know why he was surprised. Krüger knew who he was after all. But he definitely didn’t like the use of the word ‘late’.  
“Come and sit down,” Seth insisted, going back to pull Krüger’s chair out a little, “your height alone is intimidating.”  
Taylor gave him a curious look, but didn’t move. That was Krüger’s chair. He knew enough to know that if he were caught in it there’d be consequences, but at the same time Krüger had warned him to do as he was told.  
After nervously running his fingers through his hair he took a seat. Seth sat in the chair Krüger had previously occupied.  
“I wanted to talk to you,” he began almost conversationally, “will you converse with me?”  
Taylor looked toward the door Krüger had disappeared through before glancing at Jack.  
“If I have to,” he replied, hoping it hadn’t come out in a disrespectful tone.  
“No, no,” Seth waved off, “I mean really converse. None of this ‘yes Sir, no Sir’ crap. I want to really talk to you.”  
Taylor frowned, confused. But he hoped he was right in guessing this gave him some leeway.  
“Why?” he asked, trying to make eye contact but not brave enough just yet.  
“Because I have a particular interest in you,” Seth watched him curiously, “I’ve done my research in this case, and you are one very influential individual, so it seems.”  
He leant forward in his seat.  
“It seems such a waste, don’t you think?”


	97. 97

“What do you mean?” Taylor frowned, glad to find that he didn’t appear barred from asking.  
“I mean…” Seth seemed a little miffed at having to explain himself, “I may have some use for you outside of simply being Krüger’s little wench.”  
Taylor’s eyes shot to the door again, knowing that Krüger didn’t know anything about this.  
“In what capacity?” he asked, finally making eye contact.  
“What else?” Seth had a hint of a smile on his face, “recruitment.”  
“Recruitment?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose, “you mean…?”  
“Yeah, picking up hitchhikers. Coaxing girls out of bars after midnight. You know, nothing too strenuous,” Seth brushed over, “we’ve had a lot of interest in the female population of late. Unfortunately they’re a lot more cautious at being out on their own these days. Makes them harder to come by, if you catch my drift.”  
Taylor was shaking his head already, barely believing what the guy was apparently asking of him.  
“I can’t do that,” he said finally.  
“You will if I want you to,” Seth said pointedly.  
Taylor rested his elbow on the arm of the chair, covering his mouth with his hand.  
“You’d be surprised what people are capable of with the right stimuli,” Seth spared Jack a glance.  
“I can’t do it,” Taylor reiterated, “I won’t do it. And I’m not yours.”  
He’d never imagined being able to feel glad for Krüger’s control before. It was a conflicting feeling.  
“Well technically…” Seth’s voice lowered, “you are the property of the company, and I am a third part shareholder. So yes, you are mine.”  
He smiled a little sadistically at the incredulous look Taylor gave him.  
“However I understand you having a sense of loyalty to your master. I will see what I can do about having you transferred into my custody. You can keep Jack here company.”  
Taylor shot a look at Jack before even realising he’d jumped to his feet.  
“No,” he shook his head, eyes on Seth as he also stood, “I can’t do it! You want me to lure in girls so that you can make them into slaves? I won’t. I can’t!”  
“Sit down,” Seth ordered as he stood with his hand on the back of Krüger’s chair, and it was obvious that it was an order.  
Taylor clenched his hair in his fists as he thought about what kind of day he was having. But he sat down again. Before he realised what had happened Seth had locked the left cuff to the arm of the chair. He tested the pull before he found himself shaking.  
“As I was saying,” Seth began again as he walked around the back of the chair.  
Taylor kept his right hand in his lap so he couldn’t do the same thing to that side.  
“I will see about having you transferred. Though it looks like we need to do some work on your moral standards first. You were raised Christian, I’m guessing?”  
Taylor didn’t reply, he just stared in Jack’s direction. The man returned his gaze. Then Taylor jumped as Seth suddenly slid his fingers through his hair.  
“I thought you were up on your vocal training,” he said snidely, “I asked you a question.”  
“Yes, I was,” Taylor hissed through his teeth as Seth’s grip tightened.  
He was getting sick of having his hair pulled.  
“It’s obvious. Don’t worry, we can drill that out of you.”  
“That’s not gonna happen,” Taylor said between his teeth.  
“I thought your master had rid you of your defiance,” Seth mused, “but we can work on that too.”


	98. 98

“Jack, here,” Seth snapped his fingers.  
Jack stepped forward obediently as Taylor watched. Seth stepped around behind him and began unstrapping the gag from his head.  
“Jack here is a new addition to the family,” Seth explained, keeping Taylor’s attention.  
“He’s been with us for oh… just about a month now I’d say. He is adjusting well, but this is his first official outing so we need to take precautions.”  
Jack exercised his jaw as the gag was pulled away and thrown onto the dining table.  
“Jack will do absolutely anything I ask of him, isn’t that right?” Seth almost sounded proud.  
Jack just nodded as Taylor looked between them, wondering if this was somehow supposed to be a glimpse into what Seth would expect from him.  
“Except one thing. Say hello to Taylor, Jack.”  
Jack looked worried as Taylor looked confused, before Seth broke out laughing.  
“Don’t mind me, we had his vocal chords removed,” he patted Jack on the back, “a painful procedure, supposedly, but we never hear him complaining. Good boy Jack. You can take a seat.”  
Jack nodded and sat on a nearby chair as Taylor just stared at Seth wide-eyed.  
“His vocal chords?” he almost choked, “why? Why would you do that?”  
“Oh don’t worry, we won’t do that to you. Not with your voice,” Seth mused, “no, we’ll need that.”  
Taylor turned away, worried now that Krüger might get the idea instead. That he wasn’t looking gave Seth the moment he needed to grab his other wrist and lock that cuff to the chair as well.  
“No!” Taylor hissed, already knowing it was far too late.  
He pulled on the cuff before glaring up at Seth.  
“What do you want from me?” he demanded, trying to keep his breathing under control more than anything else, “you wanted a conversation, but so far there’s nothing you’ve told me that I could do anything about.”  
“I’m getting what I need,” Seth seemed to consider, “and I like what I’m seeing.”  
Taylor stiffened as Seth put a hand on his shoulder and began slowly trailing it down his chest. He’d stepped around behind the chair again so that Taylor couldn’t see him.  
“So what do you need?” his voice had its quiver back.  
“To know that you’re the right one for the job,” Seth’s voice was low and not far from Taylor’s ear as he leant inward.  
When he slowly worked his way down to Taylor’s abdomen, Taylor brought his right foot up onto the chair so his thigh blocked Seth from going any further. Seth laughed to himself as Taylor blushed, but he gladly took a step back.  
“Relax, I’m just playing with you,” he grinned, gently running his hand through Taylor’s hair again, “and that, my boy, is why girls are so much easier to break in.”  
He sighed before stepping around into Taylor’s field of vision again.  
“Let me point out what I’ll be offering you, because I’m not entirely sure you understand,” he stood between Taylor and Jack, “I’m offering you a chance at freedom. You won’t have to be confined to these walls, or in fact any walls or any chains. You’ll be free to roam the streets – as long as you come home at the end of the night.”  
“So what if someone recognises me?” Taylor wanted to frown but was still recovering from the assault.  
“It’s not going to be overnight,” Seth looked incredulous, “you’ll have to go through training for it.”


	99. 99

“Training?” Taylor raised an eyebrow.  
“A more involved and specified program than what Krüger runs, I assure you,” Seth nodded, “we need to be sure we can entirely trust our operatives.”  
He leant forward over Taylor’s lap, hands resting on the end of the arm rests of Krüger’s chair.  
“Can’t you just picture it?” he was evidently holding back a grin, “one day, you’ll become a legend. ‘If you see Taylor Hanson, you’re never seen again’.”  
“That’s not what I want to be known for,” Taylor scorned.  
Seth broke into a chuckle.  
“And where exactly do you presume your wants equate?”  
Taylor diverted his eyes and gulped. Seth took him by the chin and turned him back to face front. When Taylor realised he just wanted to stare at him he tried to pull away. It only made Seth laugh.  
“I can’t wait for the day when you suck my dick,” he grinned.  
“I’ll die first,” Taylor spat as Seth finally let go of him.  
“A regrettable possibility, but once again…” Seth spared Jack a glance as he stood straight again, “Jack is also a prime example of how we are able to keep you boys alive when you don’t want to be.”  
Taylor clenched his teeth, trying not to let his mind start wondering what else Jack might possibly have been through in the past month. He was starting to think his preparation for Mexico had been a walk in the park in comparison.  
“So now your threat is to keep me alive, rather than kill me,” he said aloud.  
“Krüger has threatened to kill you?” Seth seemed suddenly interested.  
“Not formally,” Taylor frowned, “but he’s come close to carrying it out at least twice.”  
“This is news to me,” Seth didn’t seem at all happy.  
“Well if you assholes want to make up your mind about what kind of torture you want to inflict-“  
Taylor cut off as Seth slapped him across the face. Aside from turning his head, he barely reacted to the sting.  
“There’s no need for name-calling,” Seth shook his hand out before stepping around behind the chair again.  
Taylor clenched his teeth when Seth once again began playing with his hair. He guessed it was supposed to be a comforting gesture… if he were a dog.  
“I don’t want to hurt you, Taylor,” he said as Taylor just closed his eyes, “but I do need some level of discipline to be apparent before we can move forward.”  
Seth cut himself off as the door to the dining hall opened. Taylor opened his eyes to see Krüger walking in, his eyes immediately falling to where Seth was still stroking his head.  
“You’ve had long enough,” Krüger insisted, Taylor internally thanking him.  
“A shame,” Seth sighed, leaning down to unlock Taylor’s cuffs from the chair before giving him a pointed look, “I look forward to spending some more time with you.”  
Taylor just stared back at him until both cuffs were free.  
“Go to your room,” Krüger ordered once he was loose.  
Taylor stood from the chair, glad to be able to leave the room and Seth behind. As he made to pass Krüger the man took his arm. Taylor saw him holding a padlock.  
“You know what to do with this,” he insisted.  
“Yes Master,” Taylor said almost pointedly as he took it.  
He didn’t look back as he walked out, finding his own way back to the first room he’d been in.


	100. 100

Taylor found the room without any trouble and made his way inside, closing the door behind him. Having never touched it before he found it to be unexpectedly heavy.  
Tossing the padlock from palm to palm he made his way over to where the original chain lay on the floor, already locked to the ring bolt. He picked up the opposite end of the chain and quickly locked it to his collar before he could have any second thoughts. His orders carried out, he went into the bathroom and washed his face in the basin. He may have literally just had a shower before his meeting with Seth, but he already felt dirty again.  
As he turned off the water and used his shirt to dry himself off, he heard a small creak come from the main room. Knowing Krüger would still be entertaining Seth in the dining hall, he came to the door of the bathroom expecting to see Charlie.  
He froze when he saw that it was Kathryn.  
“Hello,” she smiled, closing the door behind her.  
Taylor leant forward to check that no one else was in the room, but he remained in the doorway.  
“What are you doing here?” he asked, not sure how to address her.  
Or if he should even be talking to her in the first place.  
“Exploring,” she replied simply, stepping over to the bolt in the floor and delicately stooping to take up the end of the chain.  
“I don’t think you should be in here,” Taylor said cautiously, watching as her fingers ran up the chain.  
“I can go wherever I want.”  
Somehow that wasn’t comforting. Taylor watched as she slowly took up the slack in the chain, getting closer and closer to him in the process.  
“Okay,” he was getting nervous now, “so then why are you here?”  
When she was barely a couple of feet away Taylor took hold of the chain himself so that she couldn’t get any closer than where he had it. She just grinned up at him.  
“I want to play,” she said innocently.  
When she leant up in an effort to kiss him, Taylor ducked away and managed to pull the chain with him back into the bathroom.  
“Sorry,” his face flushed red again, “not interested.”  
“Are you kidding me?” Kathryn suddenly scorned, her tone making him pause.  
“You’ve been stuck in this place for how long? And you’re telling me you don’t want to get laid?”  
“It’s only been a week,” Taylor frowned, before backing into the sink as she advanced on him again.  
“You’ve only been here a week and you’re already locking yourself away like a good little boy?” she smirked, running a finger down his chest.  
“Well… technically,” Taylor hadn’t expected to have to defend his actions, “but I went through training last year.”  
“Last year?” she gave him a curious look, “you’ve been hidden away for that long?”  
“No,” Taylor wanted to push her away but he didn’t dare, “I was free.”  
She broke into a short laugh.  
“No one’s free. Not here,” she tapped the base of his throat, “I don’t have much time. Are you going to give me what I want, or do I tell our masters that you came onto me?”  
“Excuse me?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose.  
He looked over her head as the door to the room suddenly opened again, Charlie pausing when he saw the scene. Kathryn gave Taylor a disgruntled look before turning and making her own way out.


	101. 101

“She threatened to tell them I was coming onto her,” Taylor fretted as he paced the room, “can we do anything about that? Will he believe me if I said otherwise?”  
“The master knows Kathryn and her ways,” Charlie assured.  
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief as he finally stood still.  
“Okay,” he nodded to himself, “so what happens when he finds out that Seth wants to take me with him?”  
“I believe they may be arguing about it as we speak,” Charlie said in his usual tone, sending Taylor straight back to panic mode.  
“So what if Seth wins? I mean he’s his boss, right?” Taylor hugged himself as he paced again.  
“We need to go to the kitchen and begin preparation for the evening meal,” Charlie insisted, “I need you to come with me.”  
Taylor covered his face with his hands as he gathered himself, then stepped over to where Charlie was patiently waiting to unlock the chain from his collar.  
“Charlie I’m scared,” Taylor searched the older man’s eyes, “I don’t want to go with him.”  
“I can see that,” Charlie confirmed calmly, pocketing the padlock, “come.”  
He stepped over to the door and opened it again. Taylor took a deep breath before following him, half expecting Kathryn to be waiting in the corridor. She wasn’t.  
They made their way down to the kitchen, and Taylor was once again surprised at the likeness to the kitchen in Waco. At least he figured he’d remember where everything was.  
Glad to distract himself for the moment Taylor got down to work as soon as Charlie gave him something to do. Noting that they were preparing dinner for only one, Taylor was glad to realise that Seth wouldn’t be staying. Just as they were preparing to serve, Charlie returned from the dining room with news that he was in fact already gone.  
The meal was as structured as Taylor remembered from the year before. When it came time to clear the table, Krüger cleared his throat.  
“Charlie, join me in the living room. 352 can clean this up,” he instructed.  
“Yes Master,” Charlie nodded as Taylor looked between them.  
Krüger turned to him next as he stood from his chair.  
“When you are done, return to your room and wait. I will be in to speak with you regarding this evening.”  
“Yes Master,” Taylor nodded, keeping his eyes lowered until Krüger left the room.  
Charlie handed Taylor back the padlock before following his master from the room. Taylor quickly continued cleaning up, knowing the sooner he got back to his room the sooner the day would be over.  
When it looked like he’d finally finished, he stood back against the refrigerator to survey the kitchen and make sure everything was clean. When he felt a slight pull on the collar, he frowned.  
Then his eyes widened.  
His hands flew to the collar, and with a small adjustment to the back the collar suddenly came apart.  
“Holy crap,” he breathed, eyes darting up to the doors.  
He quickly replaced the collar before trying the magnetics on his cuffs. They came apart easier, both because the pieces were smaller and because he could see what he was doing.  
Keeping his eye on the door he quickly replaced the cuffs before pulling the padlock from his pocket and looking it over. With a grimace, he obediently began to head back for his room.


	102. 102

Taylor was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the chair when he heard the door being pushed open. Expecting Krüger to pay him a visit he hadn’t bothered taking up the chair again.  
He pulled himself to his knees as the Texan closed the door behind him and made his way to the chair, as expected.  
“It would appear young Seth has decided to express an interest in you,” Krüger began, making himself comfortable.  
Taylor’s eyes slid closed and he hung his head, dreading the moment Krüger would tell him he had to go.  
“Tell me,” he began without moving again, “what was your interpretation of your conversation?”  
Taylor gulped slightly as he tried to recall where it had started, his eyes to Krüger’s feet.  
“He wants me to work for him,” he said just loud enough for Krüger to hear, “he said he would see about getting me transferred into his custody, and that… he would train me to recruit.”  
Taylor took a deep breath to calm himself down once he was done. Krüger gave him a curious look.  
“You don’t want to go with him?” he seemed perplexed, “you would give up a possible chance at freedom?”  
“Please,” Taylor shook his head as he tried not to get emotional already, “if I never want for anything ever again, please don’t let him take me.”  
“Look up,” Krüger ordered.  
Taylor hesitated, but rubbed his eyes before complying.  
“Why not?” Krüger leant forward slightly, “why wouldn’t you want to go with him?”  
“I just don’t want to become what he wants me to be,” Taylor said with desperation.  
“And what do you think that is?”  
Taylor hesitated, struggling to keep eye contact as he raced for an answer.  
“Feared,” he said finally.  
Krüger nodded to himself as he began to catch on.  
“You’d rather stay here for the rest of your life, short as it may be?” he asked.  
“Yes,” Taylor realised, not having really thought about it until that moment.  
He paused before adding the next part.  
“I think I’d rather be back with Nate than go with him.”  
“You’re serious,” Krüger realised.  
Taylor leant back a little as Krüger stood from the chair, not expecting him to leave so suddenly. The man paused with his hand on the door.  
“For the record,” he turned back, “I meant what I told Ms Ramirez. I don’t plan to release you. To anybody.”  
Taylor took a moment to judge his sincerity.  
“Thank you,” he said softly.  
He saw Krüger blanch a little – as subtle as it was – before the man left the room. Taylor could hear the locks falling into place before the door sealed, and knew he’d finally be left alone for a while.  
He settled down onto his back and closed his eyes. Trying to stop his mind racing was hard, but he knew he needed to get some sleep. He hadn’t gotten much when he’d been in the basement with Isaac, and it had certainly been a long and trying day for all of them.  
As his thoughts drifted to Isaac, they also drifted to Zac. He knew that he was well and truly gone by now, but he hoped he’d gone without the knowledge that Isaac had failed them this time.


	103. 103

Taylor only awoke the following morning when Charlie opened his door to collect him for the breakfast service. Hoping to fall back into the routine he remembered, he paid close attention and did everything he was told. The kitchen was definitely the same as the one in Waco, but the menu had changed somewhat.  
All the while he tried to avoid making obvious glances at the refrigerator.  
Toward the end as Taylor and Charlie began clearing the table, there was a sudden loud bang in the foyer. Noting that Charlie barely glanced at Krüger before ignoring it and continuing his work, Taylor followed suit as Krüger stood and left the room.  
“So where is he?”  
Taylor dropped the plate he’d been holding onto the table when he heard Seth’s demand. Charlie hurriedly stepped over and collected it as Taylor recovered before trying to help finish up. He’d just finished wiping the table down when Seth appeared in the doorway.  
“’Morning,” he greeted as Taylor froze.  
Krüger came straight in behind him.  
“352, go to your room,” he ordered.  
“No, stay,” Seth countered, “we should really have a chat.”  
Taylor looked between them, panicking a little. When Krüger’s expression didn’t change, he handed what he had to Charlie and quickly left the room without looking back. Seth’s laugh echoed in the foyer as Taylor found his way back to his room.  
When he opened the door he froze again. Kathryn was sitting in the chair, waiting for him. Without stopping to think, he closed the door again and secured one of the bolts, making sure she couldn’t get out.  
“Oh crap,” he breathed, looking back down the hall and wondering what to do now.  
Hoping against hope that Seth wouldn’t come looking for them, he folded his arms and just stood back against the wall to wait. He couldn’t hear anything from the room, but it could have been because of the soundproofing.  
He didn’t have to wait long before he found Jack coming down the hallway, free of his restraints bar the usual collar and cuffs. Not moving because he’d at least been told to go _to_ his room, Taylor waited as Jack paused in front of him and gave him a curious look.  
“Kathryn. She’s in there,” Taylor explained worriedly.  
Jack broke into a knowing grin and gave him a nod with silent applause. Not expecting the reaction, Taylor raised an eyebrow.  
“Of course,” he realised, “you’d know what she was like.”  
Jack just gave him a knowing look before turning to look back down the hall.  
“He’s here for me, isn’t he?” Taylor followed his gaze, “he’s not going to give up so easy.”  
When Jack just shrugged, Taylor leant his head back against the wall. Already he was having flashbacks to his time with Nate. He watched as Jack took up a spot on the opposite wall and almost mirrored his stance in wait.  
They didn’t have to wait long. Only it was Seth who made the first appearance.  
“There you are,” he said amiably as he made his way toward them.  
Taylor didn’t move. Jack backed off a little and lowered his head submissively.  
“I thought I asked you to stay in the dining room?” Seth gave Taylor a curious look.  
“Last time I checked,” Taylor responded in kind, “you still weren’t my master.”


	104. 104

The next thing Taylor knew, Seth had grabbed the ring in his collar and flattened him back against the wall. With a grunt he barely managed to resist the urge to fight back.  
“And I thought we’d established that I outrank your ‘master’,” Seth was beginning to lose patience.  
Taylor would have made another smart reply, but the pressure on the collar was starting to cut off his airway. Leaving it until he couldn’t take it anymore, his hands finally flew to Seth’s wrist in an effort to try and remove some weight.  
“Testing me before our training even starts is not the best idea,” Seth assured, refusing to pull back.  
When they heard a click to Taylor’s right, both their heads turned. Krüger stood in the hall with his pistol pointed at Seth.  
“Let him go,” he demanded.  
Seth immediately dropped Taylor’s collar. As soon as he had air back in his lungs, Taylor backed off and headed down the hallway to recover.  
“Are you gonna shoot me, Krüger?” Seth rolled his eyes, “you know that won’t end well for you.”  
“You’ve outstayed your welcome,” Krüger announced, “it’s time you and your circus leave.”  
Seth hesitated, but walked toward him. Krüger lowered the gun as he made it to his side.  
“Fine,” Seth said through his teeth as he passed, “Jack! Find Kathryn! We’re leaving.”  
Taylor looked up as he leant against the wall to see Jack simply step over to the door and undo the bolt Taylor had driven in. When the door was opened, a slightly dishevelled Kathryn appeared with a glare on her face. The first thing she did was slap Jack across the cheek.  
Otherwise ignoring her, Jack turned to follow his master. Kathryn took a look back over her shoulder, and her glare only twisted darker when she spotted Taylor. Recoiling slightly he stood back against the wall again as she turned to finally leave.  
“Stay there,” Krüger ordered him as he followed them.  
Taylor hoped it was to make sure they actually left. He heard raised voices from the foyer for a time, before the main doors closed and he heard Krüger’s footsteps returning. Breathing a sigh of relief that Seth was once again gone, he waited until Krüger appeared. He didn’t look happy.  
“Get inside,” he ordered, pointing to the door Taylor stood beside.  
Taylor gulped slightly, knowing this wasn’t his room. Obeying, he pushed the door open and stepped through. When he remembered what room it was, he faltered.  
As he turned back to make sure this was where Krüger wanted him, the man was already coming through the door.  
“Sit down,” he ordered.  
“What did I do?” Taylor started to panic.  
“Don’t make me say it again,” Krüger’s voice lowered.  
Taylor took another moment to gather himself before he took a seat in the chair. Krüger stepped forward and secured his cuffs to the arm rests before stooping to secure his ankles. Taylor closed his eyes as he tried not to hyperventilate before only one chain was draped across his chest this time.  
“Now,” Krüger began as he picked up the controller again, “where do you think you went wrong?”  
“I don’t know,” Taylor shook his head, “I swear I don’t know. Please don’t-“  
He cut off as Krüger depressed the button and the electricity rippled through the chain. When Taylor had had a moment to recover, his mind raced to try and find the answer.  
“I asked you to go to your room, not stand outside the door,” Krüger supplied for him, “but you didn’t, did you?”


	105. 105

Taylor finally managed to catch his breath and relax possibly an hour or so after Krüger had finally left him alone. He’d already come to the conclusion that the session couldn’t have been entirely for his indiscretions, he had to have been taking out some frustration at Seth’s uninvited appearance.  
Without the added burden of the straightjacket Taylor knew he could easily free himself from the chair, but after the reaming he’d just received he once again didn’t dare move.  
The next person he saw was Charlie, coming to fetch him to help with the evening meal. Taylor hadn’t even realised how long he’d been sitting in the chair but it turned out to have been most of the day.   
The meal went without incident, and Krüger practically ignored him. Taylor wasn’t sure if that were a good thing or a bad thing. Expecting to be told to go back to his room after the service, he was surprised when Charlie insisted he join them in the living room. When he followed them in and realised they were settling in for the night, he took up the corner he had in Waco and just knelt to wait for the time to pass. At one point he even declined Charlie’s offer for reading material.  
Once again expecting to have to retire to his room, he was again surprised when Charlie led him to the master bedroom. He helped Charlie in his preparations for the following day before seeing the bathroom and waiting patiently while Charlie locked the familiar chain to his collar.  
“You’ve done well,” Charlie gave his chest a pat before going to use the bathroom himself.  
Taylor wasn’t sure how to react, so he didn’t. He settled down onto his knees at the end of the bed to wait, Charlie soon returning and taking up his post beside him.  
When Krüger finally made it into the room, he stopped in front of them.  
“Eyes up,” he ordered.  
Taylor didn’t hesitate. He looked up. Krüger’s eyes were on him.  
“You are here tonight because I don’t trust Seth,” he explained, “not because you’ve earned it. Do you understand?”  
“Yes Master,” Taylor confirmed, not without a hint of worry in his voice.  
“Good,” Krüger offered Charlie a glance, “goodnight.”  
Taylor watched as Krüger went to use the bathroom before he locked his pistol away in the bedside table and finally settled into bed and turned the light off. Without another sound, he and Charlie finally lay down and soon found themselves off to sleep.

*

Sometime in the early hours of the morning, Taylor’s eyes opened. He heard footsteps on the stairs.  
As he looked up his chain rattled against the floorboards, the noise disturbing Charlie next to him.  
“Someone’s coming,” Taylor whispered, not wanting to be the one to wake Krüger.  
Not a second later the door flew open and a gunshot was heard. Taylor immediately curled in on himself and covered his head as Charlie pulled himself to his feet in opposition.  
A second gunshot sounded before Taylor uncovered one eye to look up and see who was standing over him.  
“Let’s go!” Seth called back over his shoulder before bending over to grab Taylor by the shoulder.  
“What are you doing?!” Taylor exclaimed as he was pulled up, looking back to see two bloodstains on the bedcovers where the bullets had penetrated.  
His face lost colour.  
“What does it look like?” Seth scorned, keeping an eye on Charlie as he pulled a key from his pocket.  
He unlocked the chain from Taylor’s collar as Jack and two others appeared in the doorway.


	106. 106

“You’re abducting me?” Taylor gave Seth an incredulous look as one of the two men he didn’t recognise pulled his arms behind him and used the padlock to secure his cuffs.  
“Krüger has outlived his usefulness,” Seth replied as he eyed Charlie.  
Charlie had his eye on Krüger’s form and wasn’t moving.  
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Taylor looked to the ceiling, panic rising in his chest once again.  
Seth gave his other lackey a nod, before indicating Taylor. When Taylor saw him step forward with a similar gag in his hands to what Jack had previously worn he began to back off.  
“Steady,” the man who’d locked his cuffs took him by the shoulders.  
“What is wrong with you people?” Taylor frowned, knowing he’d be in for it no matter what happened here, “all you seem to do is kill each other!”  
Seth eyed the man with the gag as he stepped forward. The one behind Taylor had to hold him by the hair so that he’d stay still in order to secure it. Once it was in place, Taylor managed to pull away from him as he once again tried not to hyperventilate.  
Seth stepped forward and attached a simple leash to Taylor’s collar.  
“Welcome to the family,” he said softly, before turning away with a grin.  
He led the way from the room, Jack staying behind to watch Charlie as the others forced Taylor out behind him. He was led down the stairs, but instead of being taken outside the men turned him into the kitchen. Confused but unable to ask anything, he kept his eye on Seth.  
“Secure him here, Jack can watch him when he comes down,” Seth told his lackeys, “I’ll need your help in the study.”  
Taylor blanched as he realised how close the study had been. And by proxy, the phone. The man holding his leash secured it to the end of the counter while the other forced him down into a sit before they followed Seth through the other door and into the study.  
Taylor waited until they were gone before looking up at the refrigerator. But he didn’t wait any longer than that, knowing that Jack was on his way.  
Managing to shuffle himself across the floor, he quickly set his left wrist against the door. It was a bit of a struggle because of the cuffs being so close together and because he couldn’t see them this time, but he eventually managed to get the left one free. The right one was easier now that he had the use of this left hand.  
Once the cuffs were free he dropped them and knelt up to pull the leash away from the end of the counter. Once he had the room, he quickly put his back to the door and worked to get the collar off. When it initially wouldn’t budge he panicked for a moment before realising he’d been pushing it in the wrong direction and quickly alleviating his mistake.  
The collar came off, and he dropped that too. Without taking the time to tamper with the gag, he scrambled to his feet and left the kitchen through the dining hall doors. He knew Jack would be coming from the foyer entrance and he needed to get around him.  
Once in the dining room he began struggling with the gag. It didn’t take too long to figure out, and he soon had that off too. Once completely free, he made his way to the door and opened it just enough of a crack so that he could see through. There was no sign of anyone yet.  
Not quite able to see the staircase from this angle, Taylor had to wait until he could hear Jack’s footsteps. The moment he saw him disappear into the kitchen, he bolted across the foyer and headed down toward the basement. His mind was racing so fast he couldn’t think straight, but he knew one thing for certain; if he was getting out, he was taking Isaac with him.


	107. 107

“Tay?!” Isaac couldn’t believe his eyes.  
Taylor hushed him the second he walked in, quickly closing the door behind him.  
“What are you doing?!” Isaac hissed, barely awake enough yet to register anything.  
“We need to get out of here,” Isaac could tell his brother was fretting as he made his way over, “how are you… oh crap.”  
Taylor covered his mouth with his hand when he realised that Isaac was restrained to the pole via a chain to the collar. He couldn’t exactly bring the refrigerator down here.  
“Tay, what’s going on?” Isaac frowned, “last time I saw you-“  
“Seth’s here, he’s trying to take me with him,” Taylor quickly brushed over as he stepped over to the table and began rifling through the box there.  
“Who the Hell is Seth?”  
“I’ll tell you later. Right now we need to go!”  
“The cupboards,” Isaac suggested, nodding toward them.  
Taylor dropped what he was doing and ran to them. By the time he got through searching the third one along, he had to stop and concentrate on his breathing. He was well on the way to a panic attack.  
“Tay?” Isaac tried to get his attention when he realised he’d stopped.  
At the same time, Taylor got an idea.  
“I’ll be back,” he promised, heading for the door.  
“Tay wait!” Isaac called after him.  
Taylor just hushed him again before disappearing. Isaac grimaced, knowing all he could do was wait.  
When Taylor stepped out of the basement he could hear voices yelling from the kitchen’s direction. Not stopping to have second thoughts, he ducked over to the staircase just as the kitchen door opened. Taking refuge behind the stairs, he waited to see what would happen.  
“You, take that corridor. You check the garage. If he’s made a break for it he’ll head there first,” came Seth’s voice, “I’ll check outside. Jack, stay here. Whistle if you see anything.”  
Taylor held his breath as he heard them split up in their effort to find him. Thankfully no one was headed in his direction. Once their footsteps had faded, he quickly ducked around and bolted up the staircase.  
When he found the master bedroom again he paused when there was no sign of Charlie. Again not willing to hesitate too long, he made for the bedside table where he knew Krüger’s pistol was. Trying to ignore the body on the bed, he cursed inwardly when he found the draw locked.  
He quickly looked around the room, wondering where the key could be. It didn’t take long to spot it. Sitting around Krüger’s throat.  
With a quick glance behind him at the doorway to make sure no one had followed him, he grimaced as he carefully removed the chain from around Krüger’s neck. Once he had it he quickly used the key to unlock the draw, grabbed the gun and pocketed the few other bullets he found along with it. Object achieved, he left the room and headed down the stairs.  
He froze at the bottom when he came face to face with Jack.  
Before Jack could put his hand to his lips, Taylor pulled the gun on him.  
“Please don’t make me do this,” Taylor said softly, quiet enough to not be heard elsewhere.  
Jack paused, as if to judge Taylor’s sincerity.   
“I’ll do it, I swear,” Taylor insisted, “please? I just want to save my brother.”


	108. 108

Isaac’s head shot up as Taylor re-entered the basement. His eyes soon fell on the gun.  
“You’re kidding,” Isaac’s eyes widened.  
“It’s all we’ve got,” Taylor insisted, making his way over.  
Isaac moved forward – his hands cuffed behind him making it difficult – and braced himself for what he knew was coming. Taylor aimed the barrel at the chain, and for the first time hesitated.  
“When this goes off, he’ll know where I am,” Taylor remained staring at the chain, “we’ll need to run.”  
“I think we might be passed that point already,” Isaac amended, watching him.  
Taylor took a deep breath to prepare himself.  
“Look away,” he instructed, Isaac doing so instantly.  
Making sure he had good aim, Taylor fired the first shot. It hit the chain but barely dented it.  
“Damn,” he cursed, trying to line it up again.  
Isaac had just turned back when he fired the second shot. The second one missed altogether.  
“Oh come on,” Taylor was starting to fret again now as he aimed a third time.  
“Why don’t-?“ Isaac cut off as he fired the shot.  
The chain came apart.  
“Yes!” Taylor clenched his fist in a small moment of jubilation.  
He grabbed Isaac by the arm and pulled him to his feet.  
“We gotta go,” he insisted, bolting back to the door.  
He opened it a small crack as he waited for Isaac to catch up. Making eye contact with Jack, he waited for the man’s nod before opening the door further.  
“Come on,” Taylor was whispering now as he led his brother to the right and down another hallway.  
Isaac eyed Jack, but followed Taylor without saying anything. Taylor visibly struggled as they got toward the end of the corridor, not entirely sure that they were going the right way. But when he heard what sounded like the roller door of the garage moving, he paused at what he now knew was the right door.  
“The only way we’ll get out is if we have a car,” Taylor whispered to his brother, “the gates of this place-“  
“I saw them, I know,” Isaac nodded, “there’d be no getting over them.”  
Taylor’s eyes darted as he waited for the noise to stop. When it finally did he concentrated in an effort to hear if there was anybody still in there. When he couldn’t hear anything, he cautiously opened the door.  
The garage appeared deserted.  
“Okay,” he nodded to Isaac before stepping out.  
He kept the gun in his hand as he rushed over to the Mercedes. Isaac managed to push the door closed behind him as he paused to take in the car he’d spent so long trying to track down.  
Taylor made it to the car and opened the driver’s door, quickly jumping in and searching for keys. He found them above the sun visor before he jumped out again.  
“Ike come on!” he hissed, seeing his brother’s pause.  
Isaac headed over and Taylor opened the back door for him. He had to help him in and close the door behind him, before making his way over to the levers that controlled the roller door.  
“Here goes nothing,” he whispered to himself, before closing his eyes and pressing the button.  
When the door moved he bolted back to the car and got it started and ready to go.


	109. 109

Taylor flinched as a bullet ricocheted off the hood of the car.  
“Holy crap!” he exclaimed, looking up to see one of Seth’s lackeys in the other doorway.  
“Get out of the car!” the man ordered, making his way down the steps.  
“Don’t do it Tay,” Isaac insisted, not knowing what state of mind his brother was in.  
Taylor looked over his shoulder to see how far the door was up. When he turned back to see the man had reached the garage floor, he shifted the car into reverse and floored it.  
Burnt rubber and smoke quickly filled the garage before the car even got moving, and Taylor caught one last glimpse of the man bolting toward them before he found himself outside. The driveway was pitch black, but there were spotlights highlighting the front of the building which cast enough shadows for him to navigate with.  
He spun the car so he could put it in drive, Isaac trying to find something in the back to hold onto so that he wasn’t rolling around. When he found the tyre hold he managed to use it to push himself up and watch what Taylor was doing.  
Taylor ducked as another bullet shattered the back window. Not taking his foot from the pedal he managed to turn the car around the building and head straight for the gates. A glance to the side saw two vans sitting at the front doors, presumably belonging to Seth. Possibly due to their presence, the main gates were already open.  
“Gates are open,” he glanced over his shoulder at Isaac.  
“I can see that. Go for it,” Isaac encouraged.  
Taylor checked his mirrors. Someone was already running to one of the vans, and the man from the garage had appeared from the side of the house.  
When he hit the street he turned left. They were obviously in a rural area and needed to get to civilisation as soon as possible. Taylor floored it. It wasn’t long before the van was in pursuit.  
“What do you think the chances are of this thing outrunning the van?” Taylor asked, mainly to keep the added silence from driving him crazy.  
“Good,” Isaac tried to reassure him, “as long as they don’t already have someone waiting down the street for us.”  
“I think they were expecting a quick in and out,” Taylor continued checking his mirrors considering he couldn’t see out the back, “I don’t think they brought back up.”  
“Who are they?” Isaac frowned, “and where’s Krüger in all this?”  
“Krüger’s dead,” Taylor took a sharp turn, causing Isaac to fall down onto his side in the back.  
“Dead?” he coughed, the collar having hit the floor.  
“Seth shot him. I don’t know what happened to Charlie.”  
“So who the heck is Seth?!”  
Isaac grimaced as Taylor took another sharp turn, struggling not to slide along the carpet.  
“One of his superiors,” Taylor checked the mirrors again, knowing he was starting to lose the van, “he showed up yesterday saying he wanted to take me into some other training program. Krüger wasn’t going to let him.”  
“So he shows up in the middle of the night to take you?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
Taylor didn’t reply as he turned onto another street and floored it again.  
“We need to dump this car,” he said decidedly.  
“Make sure it’s somewhere we can get help from,” Isaac insisted.  
“I don’t even know where I’m going,” Taylor said to himself.


	110. 110

Between fifteen and twenty minutes later, Taylor was sure he’d lost the van. They’d pulled into what appeared to be a commercial area of southern Austin.  
“We need to find a phone,” Isaac said decidedly.  
“I can go one better,” Taylor suddenly pulled off into an alley.  
“Where are we going?” Isaac tried to look up.  
Taylor pulled the car to a halt and shut it off, quickly cutting the lights.  
“There’s a hardware store just around the corner,” he turned to look back at his brother, “I’ll bet they have bolt cutters.”  
“Count me in,” Isaac insisted.  
Taylor left the keys in the car as he got out to go and help Isaac. Once out, he began to lead him back to the main street. They paused at the corner so Taylor could make sure the coast was clear before he ducked over to the door of the store and had a quick peek inside. The store was in darkness.  
He stood back as Isaac caught up to him, having a quick look around. Soon spying piece of broken sidewalk concrete, he picked it up and took it back to the door – using it to break the glass. Isaac cringed as he expected an alarm to go off but there was nothing.  
Taylor reached through the door and unlocked it, quickly ushering Isaac inside.  
“This place should have a phone too, right?” Isaac asked as Taylor closed the door behind them and kicked the concrete block out of their way.  
“I should hope so,” Taylor shrugged, quickly scanning the nearby shelves.  
It didn’t take long before he narrowed down the tool section and he soon produced some bolt cutters. Isaac turned his back and let Taylor use them on the padlock holding his cuffs together, before he used his newly freed hands to hold the chain out. Taylor cut it two rings from the top before ditching the cutters.  
“See if you can find something magnetic,” he insisted, “I’ll look for a phone.”  
“Magnetic. Why?”  
“That’s how I got those off,” Taylor indicated the collar and cuffs.  
“Right.”  
They split up, Taylor also trying to keep an eye out for any silent alarm that may have been set off. He found nothing. Just when he found the phone he also set his eye on a drinks fridge. Figuring it would only take a couple of seconds, he ducked over to it and pulled out two bottles of water.  
“Ike?!” he called out as he closed the door.  
“Here!” he appeared from behind one of the aisles.  
Taylor threw him one of the bottles which he immediately opened before going back to his task.  
“Thanks.”  
Taylor had a quick drink himself before going back to the phone and picking up the receiver.  
“Hey Tay?”  
Taylor froze as Isaac came back into view, his hand poised over the dials.  
“If you call 9-1-1, who’s going to show up?” Isaac said suddenly.  
“The cops,” Taylor’s eyes darted.  
“Right. In what?”  
“A squad car,” Taylor looked confused.  
A moment later a look of realisation suddenly crossed his face and he put the receiver down.  
“Like the one that picked you up,” he shook his head.


	111. 111

“What do we do?” Taylor asked, running his fingers through his hair nervously, “we need to call someone.”  
“We need to at least get out of Austin,” Isaac shook his head.  
Taylor paused, then again picked up the phone and dialled.  
“Who are you calling?” Isaac asked, unable to hide his worry.  
“Nat,” Taylor replied, “she needs to know we’re okay. They all need to know.”  
“Except Kate?” Isaac pointed out.  
Taylor grimaced as he waited for someone to pick up at the other end. It took some time – understandable considering the time of night – but someone finally answered.  
“Nat!” Taylor exclaimed, “Nat, it’s me! We’ve-“  
He suddenly cut off and Isaac gave him a curious look as he pulled the receiver away from his ear.  
“She hung up,” Taylor frowned.  
“What?” Isaac scorned, making his way over to him.  
“She hung up on me,” Taylor reiterated, putting the receiver back.  
“Well that’s weird. Maybe-“  
The phone rang. The two of them looked at each other, then back at it.  
“Also weird,” Isaac said aloud before he reached over to pick it up himself, “hello?”  
Taylor stood back and watched Isaac’s face. When his eyes widened, Taylor got worried.  
“Nicole?!”  
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief.  
“No, wait… Yes it’s me. Seriously. … You what?”  
Taylor bit his lip as he tried to make sense of this half of the conversation. He distracted himself by having another drink of water.  
“No, Tay and I are both here. Yeah he called Nat. Where did you-? Oh. Well listen, we’re in Austin, Texas. We’ve decided we can’t call 9-1-1 because the people that are after us have somehow commandeered a squad car and we don’t know if they’re actually cops or not or if they’re still around. What? … No, we don’t know. It only just happened, and they are definitely still on the lookout for us.”  
“Where is she?” Taylor asked, leaning over the work bench.  
“Wait a second,” Isaac covered the phone.  
“She’s at yours. Your phone’s been tapped.”  
“What?!” Taylor exclaimed, “how? By who?! And why?”  
“I don’t know,” Isaac shook his head, “Nikki’s calling from Joe’s cell phone. She’s… Wait, what?”  
Isaac put the phone back to his ear, listening to his wife again.  
“Okay I’ll tell him.”  
Taylor watched curiously as Isaac relayed, noting how his face had also suddenly lost colour.  
“Apparently Nat had a visit from a guy named Connor. Does that mean anything to you?”  
Taylor froze like a deer in headlights. When Isaac hit the bench in order to snap him out of it, Taylor nodded.  
“Yes,” he said softly, “he’s Seth’s brother. He’s helping run the whole thing.”  
He turned solemn.  
“What did he say to her?”  
“A lot,” Isaac insisted.


	112. 112

“We’re going to try and find another car and get ourselves back to Tulsa,” Isaac said into the phone.  
“Maybe that’s not such a good idea,” Taylor said suddenly.  
“What? Wait, sorry Nikki. Tay, what?”  
“Maybe it’s not a good idea,” Taylor repeated, “that’s where they’ll expect us to go. And if Connor’s been there…”  
“Where else do you suggest we go?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed, “we don’t exactly have a lot of options here.”  
“I don’t know,” Taylor shook his head, “but we need to contact the Feds. They must have someone else on the case by now.”  
“Did you hear that?” Isaac asked into the phone.  
He waited as he listened to Nikki for a while, before giving Taylor an awkward glance.  
“What is it?” Taylor asked, knowing something was up.  
Isaac waited – Nikki obviously still talking – before he rested the receiver against his shoulder and took a moment to work out what he was going to say.  
“She mentioned it before, but I didn’t think it warranted bringing up,” he began with a frown, “but everyone was convinced I’d died in the van with Gorman.”  
“But Davison came looking for you,” Taylor returned the frown, “why would he do that if he thought you were dead?”  
“Well he did know you and Zac were in the general area,” Isaac pointed out, “it wasn’t just about me.”  
“Do they know about Davison?”  
Isaac shook his head.  
“I don’t think so.”  
He tentatively put the phone back to his ear.  
“Ah… Nik? There’s something you should know about Davison…”  
Taylor waited as Isaac explained, before he suddenly hit Taylor on the shoulder.  
“Find a TV,” he looked suddenly panicked.  
“What?” Taylor couldn’t imagine what for.  
“Just find one! Now!”  
Taylor raised a hand in surrender and started looking. Figuring his best chance would be out back somewhere where the employees congregated, he checked there first.   
“Got one!” he called back.  
“Turn on MSN!”  
Taylor turned the television on and changed the channel. News bulletins careered across the screen, but the picture itself and the current highlighted story made his breath catch in his throat.  
“Tay?!”  
“Ike you’d better see this.”  
He heard Isaac drop the phone and make his way in to the lunch room. Taylor’s eyes didn’t leave the screen. When Isaac entered and saw what he saw, he did a double take.  
“That’s from today,” Taylor turned up the volume, “the memorial was today.”  
Onscreen was footage of a memorial for the agents lost in the Tulsa PD explosion. Being interviewed about it, was none other than Sergeant Davison.  
“That can’t be right,” Isaac said under his breath, “we watched him die two days ago.”


	113. 113

“If he’s not dead, that’s a good thing right?” Isaac was now the one fretting.  
“Ike, he knew where we were,” Taylor spared him a glance before gluing his eyes to the television again, “so why didn’t he send an arsenal after us?”  
“Then he can’t be alive,” Isaac frowned, “there’s no way… this doesn’t make sense!”  
“It would make perfect sense,” Taylor considered, “if Davison were in on it.”  
“ _That_ doesn’t make sense!” Isaac insisted, “Davison’s been on this since the road block with Bernard. You remember that, right? Bullets flying, cars crashing…”  
“Ike if there is even a remote possibility that Davison is a dirty cop, and is still alive,” Taylor looked his brother in the eye, “then you’d better warn Nikki. Our phone wasn’t tapped for nothing. They were waiting for us to call them.”  
Isaac ran his fingers through his hair, fighting an internal battle with himself.  
“Think about it,” Taylor began seriously, “he got shot twice, right? Once in the front, once in the back. There wasn’t any blood. Not even on the floor.”  
“This can’t be happening,” Isaac shook his head.  
“During the interview he was rubbing his chest,” Taylor pointed out, the story having disappeared from the screen by now, “and I know if you’re wearing a bulletproof vest it sure doesn’t stop it hurting. Like paintball, you know? Ike, are you with me?”  
Isaac just nodded, unable to say anything.  
“So it does make sense,” Taylor insisted, “just not completely, right now. But we’ll find out, okay? Right now you need to go and warn Nikki.”  
“Okay,” Isaac nodded, finally leaving the room and going back to the phone.   
Taylor eyed the screen again before turning it off and following.  
When he made it back into the showroom, he left Isaac to explain to his wife what they’d realised before starting to look for something magnetic himself.   
He soon found something used to pick up loose scraps of metal from a workshop floor and made his way back to Isaac. As Isaac continued talking to Nikki – mainly reiterating her need to be careful of who she spoke to – Taylor took his brother’s left wrist and worked to get the cuff off. It didn’t take long. When Isaac saw what he was doing he offered up his other hand before having to move the phone away while Taylor unfastened the collar.  
“Thanks,” he smiled when Taylor was done.  
Taylor nodded and threw the magnet aside before catching sight of a shadow moving in the window.  
“Ike!” he hissed, pulling his brother down behind the counter.  
“What?” Isaac asked, trying to see what he’d seen but managing to keep the phone to his ear.  
“Someone just walked past the window,” Taylor whispered, crawling to the edge of the counter and taking a cautious peek around the side.  
“I gotta go. I love you,” Isaac said into the phone before hanging up, “think they heard anything?”  
“I think if it’s someone we want to avoid, a hardware store with a broken door is something they’d want to check out,” Taylor whispered back.  
“Considering you left the car close by too,” Isaac pointed out.  
“Sue me,” Taylor hit back.  
“So where are we gonna go if Tulsa’s out?” Isaac asked when a minute or so had passed.  
Taylor hesitated, then looked across at him.  
“I have an idea,” he said.


	114. 114

“The media?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
Taylor hushed him. They were at the front door of the store, Taylor checking through the window to make sure the street was deserted.  
“What if the car had a tracker?” Isaac added, making Taylor give him a worried look.  
“We can’t stay in here forever,” Taylor insisted, “so let’s go.”  
Isaac looked back into the store before following his brother out. They continued down the sidewalk in the opposite direction to where they’d left the car, hoping to somehow come across another one they could steal.  
“The media?” Isaac tried again about a hundred feet down the road.  
“Can it wait until we’re not out in the open?” Taylor insisted, his right hand slipping behind him to check he still had the pistol at the ready.  
“Isn’t going to the media going to put us further out in the open?” Isaac pointed out.  
Taylor sighed and pulled Isaac into a nearby alley.   
“I think the time for hiding is over,” he began seriously, “I mean obviously until we get out of the range of fire we need to take precautions, but they’re really not leaving us much of a choice here.”  
“What do you mean?” Isaac frowned.  
“I mean – what else do you propose we do?” Taylor asked, “we can’t go home, and we can’t go to the cops ‘just in case’. The federal agents we know are all dead. That doesn’t leave us many options.”  
“So what will going to the media accomplish?” Isaac shrugged, “aside from telling anyone looking for us exactly where we are.”  
“Ike we can blow this thing wide open,” Taylor insisted, “we can implicate Davison. We can give the location of Krüger’s hideout. We can name Seth and Connor, and whoever happens to have been reassigned to the case will also know where we are.”  
He hesitated as he thought about what he’d said.  
“We just need to hope they find us first, is all.”  
“Oh great,” Isaac pulled a face, “that’s a great plan.”  
“Got anything better?” Taylor offered.  
Isaac was about to reply when they heard the steady hum of an engine coming down the street. Both backing up against the wall, Taylor took a careful look around the corner.  
“Dammit,” he cursed, turning back.  
“What?” Isaac asked, unable to see.  
“It’s one of the vans,” Taylor confirmed, looking down the alley to see if there was anywhere to hide, “they stopped in front of the hardware store. They must have tracked the car after all.”  
They fell silent as they heard doors opening and closing and men’s voices shouting. Taylor hit Isaac on the shoulder and indicated for him to continue down the alley.   
When they came to the cross street Taylor froze and held Isaac back. The other van was sitting to their right, in darkness. They hadn’t even heard that one.  
“Where are they?” Isaac whispered, checking over his shoulder to make sure the alley was still clear.  
Taylor paused, trying to listen for any footsteps. Just in case he pulled out the pistol and armed it.  
A sudden crash of broken glass in the direction of the hardware store made them both jump.  
“Come on,” Taylor indicated to the left.  
The moment the two hit the cross street, the van lights came on.


	115. 115

“RUN!” Isaac yelled as Taylor looked back.  
They both took off at a sprint, aiming for the next alley. The van was already careering after them, and the street wasn’t much wider than the vehicle itself so there was definitely no way back.  
When they got to the alley Taylor grabbed Isaac by the shirt to pull him into it. The van screeched to a halt behind them, not being able to turn in time. The back doors flew open and at least two men jumped out, one of them raising a gun and aiming as the van took off again.  
Isaac yelped when the bullet hit the ground beside him, but didn’t stop running. Taylor resisted the urge to turn and fire on them, knowing his bullet supply was limited and it would cost them valuable time if he did.  
When they made it to the next main street they banked left.  
“We need somewhere to hide!” Isaac called as Taylor glanced over his shoulder to check their lead.  
They suddenly pulled to a halt in front of another alley as the van careened around the corner in front of them.  
“Down here!” Taylor bolted for the alley, another gunshot going off behind them.  
Isaac was already having trouble catching his breath, his legs feeling as if they were on fire considering his previously cramped conditions. He struggled through the pain, but Taylor could see he was starting to fall behind.  
They made it to the end of the alley as the two gunmen appeared at the other end and they heard the van’s tyres screeching off in the distance somewhere. This time they turned right.  
“We can’t run forever,” Isaac insisted, and Taylor could hear his brother struggling to breathe as he spoke.  
“We need to split up,” Taylor said.  
“What?!”  
“Ike they don’t know what you look like!” Taylor insisted, glancing back again as they continued down the cross street, “you need to hide!”  
“What about you?!”  
Taylor cringed as the gunmen came into view again, and they could see the van pass at the next main street over.  
“One thing at a time,” Taylor almost cursed, leading him left.  
He began trying to open the back doors into the nearby businesses. Anything with a doorbell, he rang. If people started coming out to see what was going on, it would provide a welcome distraction.  
When Isaac stopped, figuring he should help, Taylor waved him on.  
Taylor made it about halfway down before the gunmen appeared at the mouth of the alley, one of them stopping to take aim again. When the bullet hit the door Taylor had stopped at, he flinched.  
“Stop!” the one still running ordered.  
“No way in Hell,” Taylor said under his breath, seeing the man get too close for comfort.  
He raised the pistol and fired off a warning shot. The bullet hit the ground in front of the runner, making him come to a halt. Taylor turned and ran again, trying to catch up with Isaac.  
When he rounded the next corner, he stopped. Isaac was nowhere to be seen.  
“Tay!” he heard a hiss from a few yards away.  
Taylor looked up to see that Isaac had gotten one of the doors open. Taylor sprinted over to it, pushing him inside and quickly closing the door behind him. Not a moment later they could hear the gunmen’s footsteps outside.


	116. 116

Trying to be as quiet as they could, Taylor pulled some of the spare bullets from his pocket and began reloading the pistol. There’d been only one left in the chamber.  
“Where are we?” he whispered once both footfalls had passed.  
“I don’t know,” Isaac looked back over his shoulder.  
The only light was coming from a small window above the door where a streetlight was filtering through. After double-checking that there wasn’t a way to lock the door behind them, Taylor led the way into the darkness, soon coming to a set of double glass doors. When he opened the left one he flinched as a set of security lights came on. After checking over his shoulder that the light couldn’t be seen from the window, he held the door open for Isaac.  
“A parking garage,” Isaac couldn’t help but smile, “how did we-?”  
“Just lucky I guess,” Taylor couldn’t show any relief just yet, “let’s find something we can use and get out of here.”  
Taylor kept an eye out as Isaac began inspecting the few cars still parked there. He soon came across a commercial pickup truck that had been left unlocked. Praying that the owner was either trusting enough or stupid enough to also leave the keys behind (or perhaps the truck might have had multiple drivers) he opened the door and began his search.  
“Any luck?” Taylor called softly, unsure if the danger had passed yet.  
Isaac grunted as he checked all the usual compartments before he ducked out of the truck again. Kneeling at the back he checked atop the rear tyre.  
“Bazinga!”  
When Taylor looked back and saw he had the keys, he ran around to the passenger side and got in. Isaac jumped in and started it, quickly checking that they had enough fuel for a substantial drive.  
“Okay, we’re good to go,” he insisted.  
“Here,” Taylor handed Isaac a cap he’d found under the seat.  
“What for?” Isaac frowned, putting it on regardless.  
“As I said, they don’t know what you look like,” Taylor pointed out as he tried to shuffle himself down in front of the seat.  
He was already getting flashbacks of Nate taking him to the hospital.  
“Tay everyone knows what I look like,” Isaac scorned.  
“Fine, but Seth’s after me,” Taylor insisted, “he never saw you. He probably didn’t even know you were there.”  
Isaac sighed as he put the truck in reverse and began trying to find his way out of the car park.  
“Really you should be in the back in case we get pulled over,” he pointed out.  
“If we get pulled over we’re screwed either way. Just don’t let it happen,” Taylor insisted.  
“I’m not promising anything,” Isaac grit his teeth, “the main goal is to get out of Austin.”  
He found the gates just as someone else was coming in. At first considering it a lucky coincidence, he soon realised it meant they were running out of their cover of darkness.  
“Sun will be up soon,” he glanced down at Taylor.  
“Good,” Taylor moved some hair out of his eyes, “we’ll make it in time for the morning news.”  
Isaac groaned, having hoped that Taylor had forgotten his little idea.  
“Ike, we’re doing it,” Taylor stared up at him, “I’m not just gonna run forever. We _can’t_ run forever. They will find us.”  
“I know, I know,” Isaac bit his lip as he worked his way back to a main road.


	117. 117

Having done the best he could to not draw attention to himself, Isaac wondered if he’d been too careful when he came across a road block.  
“We have a problem,” he informed Taylor, who didn’t dare look up.  
“What is it?” he asked, worried.  
“Road block,” Isaac said under his breath, “with one of our vans. You need to hide yourself better.”  
“Crap,” Taylor tried to look around at what he had at his disposal to use.  
Isaac tried to slow down without being obvious as his brother struggled to pull a piece of black plastic sheeting over himself. Being that it was still dark outside (even with slight hints of blue in the sky) as long as no one opened the passenger door he figured he’d be okay.  
“Ready?” Isaac checked.  
“As I’ll ever be,” Taylor responded, trying to keep as still as he could.  
Isaac adjusted his cap as the truck was waved over, and he soon came to a halt.  
“’Morning Sir,” a man in black greeted, “do you mind if we check your vehicle over?”  
“What seems to be the problem?” Isaac asked, putting on a slight accent as he did his best to at least look calm on the outside, “it’s my boss’ truck you know. I just drive it. Damned idiot wants me up at this time of the morning to go and pick up a crate of nails of all things. Nails! So if there’s something wrong with the lights or the wheels…”  
“Nothing like that Sir,” the man assured, “there’s been a break-in in the area and we’re tracking a fugitive. About six feet tall, blonde hair, Oklahoman accent. You wouldn’t happen to have seen anyone fitting that description, would you?”  
“No Sir,” Isaac shook his head, “but go ahead and search the back in case he jumped in. You never know with kids these days.”  
The man smirked and did as Isaac suggested, very much looking like he’d planned to anyway. Taylor was frozen underneath the sheet, listening to every footfall on the bitumen outside and his hand readily on the pistol just in case. Isaac watched in the rear view mirror as the man rummaged around in the back, seeing the same thing happening to another car across the way, before the man came back satisfied.  
“If you see anything…“ he began.  
“I’ll be sure to let you fine people know,” Isaac nodded with a smile, “good luck with your hunt.”  
The man waved him on and Isaac resisted the urge to floor it. Gritting his teeth he uneasily passed the van, momentarily locking eyes with the driver.  
“Are we clear?” he suddenly heard Taylor whisper.  
“I think so,” Isaac took a deep breath, “just wait until they’re out of sight.”  
A mile or so down the road Isaac turned left before leaning down to help Taylor pull the sheet off himself. Taylor sat himself up on the seat once he was free and shook out his hair.  
“I guess saying that was a close one would be a bit redundant,” he checked the mirrors.  
“I swear my heart was going to beat out of my chest, I don’t know how he didn’t hear it,” Isaac mused as he turned another corner.  
“Mine too,” Taylor smirked.  
He turned suddenly and started looking to see what was behind the seat. He soon came up with both a street directory and a phone book before trying to find a flashlight to go with them.  
“What are you doing?” Isaac raised an eyebrow, still keeping an eye out for familiar vehicles.  
“Finding the nearest studio,” Taylor replied, grabbing a small light and switching it on.


	118. 118

“This is a bad idea,” Isaac insisted as he pulled into the car park, “you know that feeling you get when you’re about to walk into a place full of people that want to kill you? I have that feeling.”  
Taylor scoffed at that and Isaac didn’t elaborate. Taylor did have more experience with that after all.  
“I swear if anything gives me a heart attack today, this will be it,” Isaac went on as he pulled the car to a halt as close to the door as he could.  
As soon as the car stopped, Taylor was out and heading inside. By the time Isaac managed to follow him he’d already spoken to the receptionist and headed down one of the halls.  
“Tay! Wait up!” he called after him, before giving the receptionist an odd look when he realised she was staring at him.  
Realising that Taylor had now disappeared from sight, he bolted down the hall after him to try and work out which door he’d gone through. Soon finding the studio with the local news desk Isaac paused in the doorway, suddenly somewhat nervous about all the people in the room.  
When he finally laid eyes on Taylor talking to someone that looked like a producer, he made his way over to them. Taylor soon saw him coming.  
“This is my brother Isaac,” he introduced, stepping back so he could join them.  
“I remember,” the woman nodded, “is it just the two of you?”  
“Sadly yes,” Taylor looked back at the clipboard she was holding.  
“Well we have another ten minutes before air time, unless you want to prerecord something?” she offered.  
“No, that’s fine,” Taylor insisted, “we just want it out in the open as soon as possible.”  
Isaac shook his head a little, wondering not for the first time how Taylor so easily talked people into doing what he wanted them to. This had to have been a record for timing.  
“Can we get these boys mic’d up?” she called out suddenly.  
“What’s going on?” a man – obviously the anchor – approached her the moment she’d called.  
“You have some special guests this morning,” she informed him, “meet Isaac and Taylor Hanson. Taylor was… do you mind?”  
“Go ahead,” Taylor insisted.  
“Taylor was abducted about a week or so ago, and Isaac a few days ago. The police have been implicated. Looks like you’ve got a breaking story to share, Andy.”  
“Awesome,” the man’s eyes lit up, instantly reaching out to shake their hands, “pleasure. Glad to help.”  
“Let’s just hope this goes the way we want it to,” Taylor took a deep breath.  
“Don’t even,” Isaac insisted, not wanting to think about the alternative.  
“On air in five!” the producer announced as a tech came over to give them both microphones.  
“You don’t have to do this,” Taylor looked to Isaac, “I can do it myself if you don’t want to.”  
Isaac stared back at him, considering it.  
“Can we get one of the heavyweights on the phone?! They’re all going to want this!” the producer was calling out after stepping aside from them.  
“Do I need to stay hidden?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed, “if you think they don’t know what I look like…”  
“Once this goes to air they’ll be bringing up the band, you’ll be outed anyway,” Taylor fixed his ear piece before testing it and giving the tech the thumbs up.  
“Then I guess I’m in,” Isaac paused to take a deep breath before doing the same.  
Taylor gave him a pat on the shoulder before leading the way up to the stage.


	119. 119

“In breaking news now, we are joined in the studio by no others than Isaac and Taylor Hanson, who within the past fortnight have both claimed to have been abducted by a human trafficking ring. Did I get that right?” Andy introduced.  
“Right,” Taylor nodded as the camera switched to cover the two of them at the desk.  
“And this is the first appearance you’ve made since this happened…”  
“Oh this is still happening,” Isaac insisted, trying to delve into it to distract himself from the danger they were potentially putting themselves in.  
“Would you care to explain that?” Andy offered, trying to go with the flow.  
“The two of us escaped our captors last night during what I guess is a standard bloodbath for them,” Taylor couldn’t hide the scorn in his voice as he glanced at the camera, knowing Seth would at least eventually see this, “we took the distraction and ran with it. We made it into Austin – obviously – and managed to get to a phone. But here’s the thing, and… this is why we’re here and not talking directly to the police…”  
Isaac sat back, watching as his brother lay it all out.  
“When the guy that was holding myself captive brought my brother in, he was duped into thinking he was being helped by the police. Obviously he survived the explosion that some agents died in-“ he cast Isaac a glance, “-which is apparently what the public were told that happened, or our families at least were told. But he was brought in to where I was by two men who were either officers or at least dressed like officers and who had control of a squad car.”  
“So you’re saying… forgive me for interrupting, but you think that the police may be involved?”  
“We know at least one who definitely is,” Taylor didn’t hesitate as Isaac winced a little, “Sergeant Davison with the Tulsa Metro PD. A few days ago he faked his death in order to… I don’t know.”  
“In order to convince us that there was no one left to look for us, considering all the deaths surrounding this case,” Isaac finished for him.  
“Right. So at the moment we don’t know who to trust,” Taylor gave the camera another glance, “we don’t have any contact directly with any agents who worked the case last year, I’m sure people remember when I was taken then, and those who we did know have all passed away recently. So… we’ve pretty much run out of options. I would ask – if I may – that anyone working the case would contact the studio who can at least get in touch with us.”  
“Aren’t you worried that whoever may be trying to track you down will try this tactic?” Andy asked.  
“We are,” Isaac assured.  
“But it’s a risk we need to take,” Taylor added, “and because of that we will need the credentials taken of anyone who phones in or shows up claiming to be agents.”  
“In breaking news we are joined by Isaac and Taylor Hanson, currently working to expose a human trafficking ring that appears to run between Tulsa and Texas…” Andy recapped when Taylor paused.  
“And not just those states,” Taylor insisted, “and not even just _the_ states. We don’t know how far this goes, but Mexico has already been implicated.”  
“Is there anything you want to share about your experience?” Andy felt he had to ask.  
“Not at this stage,” Taylor cut in before Isaac could say anything, “just that it’s not something we want to relive, and we need help with that. We also need to ask the public to keep an eye out for our brother Zac. We haven’t seen him for days, and he could be anywhere by now.”  
“If anyone has seen anything at all,” Isaac reiterated, “please call up the studio. Anything will help.”  
“Can we get a photo of Zac on screen?” Andy looked to his left to confirm.


	120. 120

“So what do we do now?” Isaac asked as he untangled himself from the ear piece.  
“I don’t know,” Taylor admitted, doing the same, “just hope that the word gets out, I guess.”  
It had been only about ten minutes after they came off air when someone called Taylor out of the studio. With Isaac following, they made their way into a back office where someone was waiting with a phone.  
Taylor took it when it was offered, giving Isaac a glance and saying a quick prayer under his breath.  
“Hello?” he tried to keep his voice clear.  
“Is this a Mr Jordan Taylor Hanson?”  
“It is,” Taylor confirmed.  
“My name is Sergeant Major Lloyd Andrews, I’m with the United States Army. We saw your broadcast.”  
Taylor clutched the phone as his eyes widened, falling on Isaac.  
“We understand your predicament son, and we have dispatched a team of First Class Privates along with a Specialist toward your location. You will be escorted back to the Pentagon as soon as the chopper lands.”  
“You’re kidding,” Taylor barely breathed.  
“What? What is it? Who is it?” Isaac was confused.  
“I’m not. We’ve also managed to track down your Sergeant Davison and he is currently in custody.”  
“How?” Taylor wasn’t sure it was the right thing to ask, but his mind was racing, “why the military? I mean not that I’m complaining…”  
“When the country’s top agents start dying these people become a threat to national security. I’m sure you could appreciate the need for some high class firepower.”  
“No. I mean yes, definitely,” Taylor put a hand to his forehead, “how far away are they?”  
“ETA in ten minutes. I’d advise you to stay inside the building and secure the perimeter as best you can until they arrive. You will be greeted by a Private Monroe.”  
Taylor couldn’t help but smile a little at the name, giving Isaac another glance.  
“We’ll do that,” he confirmed.  
“Stay by the phone in case we need to contact you. See you in Washington.”  
“See you there. And thank you! Thank you.”  
As Taylor hung up, Isaac watched him expectantly.  
“That was a Sergeant Major Andrews, with the army,” he could barely believe that he was saying it.  
“The army?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“They’re sending a helicopter to pick us up, it’ll be here in about ten minutes but I have to stay by the phone,” Taylor’s eyes began darting, “we need to get security to lock the place down until then.”  
“Pretty sure they locked us down the moment we went on air,” Isaac considered, “but I’ll see what I can do.”  
“Thanks,” Taylor leant over one of the desks as Isaac turned to leave the room.  
“Hey, Ike?”  
“Yeah?” he spun in the doorway.  
“The guy who’s coming to get us, his name is Monroe.”  
“You’re kidding.”  
Taylor shook his head, chewing on his lip.  
“Awesome,” Isaac grinned, finally disappearing from sight.


	121. 121

“Tay!”  
Taylor’s head shot up as Isaac landed in the doorway.  
“Chopper’s here!”  
Taylor gave the phone one last glance before following Isaac from the room. The people in the studio ushered them in the right direction, taking them to a back entrance which opened out onto a mainly deserted section of the car park. As the brothers were shown through the door, they had to shield their faces from the sudden backdraft of wind coming from the helicopter’s blades.  
A soldier came running toward them, rifle in hand.  
“Clarke and Jordan Hanson?!” he called out over the noise.  
“Jordan,” Taylor identified himself with a yell before indicating Isaac, “Clarke.”  
“Private Monroe. Let’s get you boys on board.”  
“We can’t thank you enough!” Isaac turned to the nearest person, one of the security guards.  
“Good luck!” he called back, trying to hold his uniform down in the draft.  
Monroe led both Isaac and Taylor to the helicopter where two more soldiers were ready to pull them in. One by one they were pulled up by the arms and seated opposite each other between the soldiers.  
“You boys okay?” one of them asked.  
“We will be,” Taylor insisted as Monroe got in himself.  
He called back to the pilot and the helicopter took off again.

*

About three hours later, the helicopter landed in Washington. The relief to be somewhere so far away from ground zero was evident in both Isaac and Taylor and they began to relax a lot more.  
As the helicopter shut off, Monroe and one of the Privates led them to an army vehicle on standby. Once they were safely inside, the driver began to head for the Pentagon.  
“Do we know why we’re going to the Pentagon?” Isaac leant in to ask Taylor en route.  
“You’ll be safe for one,” the Private mused.  
“What about our families?” Taylor asked straight away, “they were contacted by the guys who took us, and apparently my phone was tapped.”  
“You’ll be debriefed when we arrive,” Monroe assured, “but I thought I heard Andrews say something about protective custody.”  
“All of them?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“That’s all I know, sorry,” Monroe shrugged, “but you boys have made yourself high profile targets.”  
“We’re aware,” Taylor confirmed, “but that was kind of the idea.”  
Monroe gave him a knowing grin.  
Possibly another ten minutes went by before they arrived. Waiting to greet them was Andrews.  
“Welcome to the Pentagon,” he gave them a nod as they were escorted inside, “we’ll debrief you right away-“  
“Is there any chance we could get something to eat?” Isaac hated to ask, but it had been a while.  
“Dekker?”  
“On it Sergeant,” one of the Privates disappeared.  
“In here,” Andrews opened a door into what looked like a simple interrogation room.  
Isaac and Taylor both entered, Monroe by their side. Everyone else stayed outside as Andrews offered the brothers each a seat.


	122. 122

“Can either of you boys offer a status on Derek Krüger?” Andrews got straight down to business.  
“Dead, as far as I know,” Taylor knew he didn’t have anything to hide here, “I was chained to the end of the bed for the night, like I used to be last year, and this guy Seth came in and put two bullets into him while he slept.”  
“Seth?”  
“Apparently one of his superiors, that’s all I was told,” Taylor shrugged, “I know he has a brother named Connor, who contacted my wife. But I don’t know any more about that either.”  
“He threatened her,” Isaac offered, making Taylor stare at him, “in order to keep her quiet about what was going on. She didn’t know Davison was in on it at the time, but she knew she was being watched.”  
“Supposedly they tapped my phone in case I somehow managed to call home,” Taylor went on, “our brother Zac – who was there for a time – he managed to call 9-1-1. It might have spooked them.”  
“We’re trying to track down that call right now,” Andrews stood on the other side of the table looking down at them, “where is this brother of yours?”  
“We don’t know,” Taylor looked to Isaac for confirmation, worry evident on their faces, “the last time I saw him he told me he’d been sold, and he only had a day or so before they were shipping him out. But that was…”  
He stopped to think.  
“I don’t know. Maybe three days ago? I’ve lost track.”  
“If Tay was sold to a woman in Mexico, he could be anywhere,” Isaac was feeling helpless.  
“Sir?” Monroe cleared his throat.  
“Yes Monroe?”  
“Could that Seth be Seth Creed?” he suggested.  
Andrews hesitated before giving him a nod.  
“Get me his folder.”  
Monroe saluted and left the room.  
“Seth Creed?” Taylor looked up after watching the byplay.  
“I’ll tell you more if we confirm it,” Andrews promised, “until then, we need to focus on the where. Can you give us an exact location of where you were being held?”  
“Show me a map,” Taylor shrugged, “I’ll try my best.”  
“Between the two of us we should find it,” Isaac pointed out, “I was paying attention on the way in.”  
Andrews opened a drawer in the table and pulled out a remote. The wall opposite the door suddenly lit up – the brothers only just realising it was actually a screen – and Andrews began navigating it in an effort to bring up a map of Texas.  
“Focus on Kyle,” Taylor instructed as they both stood and made their way over to it.  
“It’s a touch screen,” Andrews informed them, “so go ahead and zoom in yourselves.”  
Taylor gave Isaac a glance before doing so himself. He found Interstate 35 and began refining the search down Rebel Drive.  
“It’s somewhere here I think,” Taylor pointed.  
“Wait a minute,” Isaac took over, zooming in further.  
They ignored Monroe as he returned with a manila folder.  
“There,” Isaac pointed to what appeared to be a black square, though the driveway was defined.  
“Is this in real time?” Taylor asked with a frown.


	123. 123

“It is,” Andrews confirmed.  
“Because that is not a black house,” Taylor insisted, “and I believe what we’re seeing above it is the remnants of a smoke cloud.”  
“You think they went back and bombed it?” Isaac asked him.  
“They might have already had it set up, we wouldn’t have known,” Taylor shrugged, “like I said, they would have expected a quick in and out.”  
“Boys?” Andrews called their attention back to the table.  
He had the manila folder open and waiting. Monroe had returned to his post at the door.  
“Is this your Seth?” he turned the folder to face them, a photo showing prominent.  
When Taylor saw it he instinctively took a step back.  
“That’s him,” he confirmed, one hand going to his throat, “that’s him for sure.”  
“Get this to Johnson,” Andrews ordered Monroe, “tell him we have confirmation that Creed is in Texas, and his brother Connor might be in Oklahoma. Lock down those state routes.”  
“Yes Sir,” Monroe saluted again before taking the folder and leaving.  
“How do you guys know who he is?” Taylor frowned, “who is he? What did he do?”  
“Aside from the obvious,” Isaac interjected.  
“That’s classified,” Andrews insisted, “but we’ve had our eye on this one for a while, along with Interpol. We do however tend to focus on his brothers more. Let’s just say Seth is the adult equivalent of the spoilt child who gets anything they want, and his brothers tend to give it to him.”  
“There’s more than one brother?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose as he scratched his chin, “besides Connor?”  
“There’s one more. The eldest, Ryan. But no one’s ever seen him.”  
“So Seth gets anything he wants, huh?” Taylor folded his arms, “awesome. Because he wants me.”  
“He can try, but there’s no way he’ll get through here while we have you boys on lockdown,” Andrews assured, “you’re not going anywhere.”  
“Lockdown?” Isaac’s eyes narrowed.  
“Are we prisoners here?” Taylor gave him a wary glance.  
“Of course not,” Andrews assured, “consider it a form of protective custody. You have both become very high profile witnesses in a very high profile and media-centred case. Until the Creeds have been brought to justice, we need to be sure of your continued safety.”  
Taylor looked to Isaac again, picking up on the subtlety behind his words. Isaac caught the look.  
“So what if you don’t catch them?” he asked, “we can’t stay here forever.”  
“Our main priority at the moment is the Creeds,” Andrews reiterated, Taylor only now noticing that the man’s tone never changed, “while I’d very much like to offer you an alternative, I can say this; very rarely do we get this close to a target without succeeding.”  
“But it happens,” Isaac countered.  
“It does happen. And we will cross that bridge if we come to it.”  
“How long until you decide?” Taylor’s brow furrowed.  
“That’s a variable determined on an individual basis. Don’t worry yourselves just yet, this has only just begun.”  
The three of them turned as the door opened, Private Dekker from earlier entering carrying two cafeteria trays with a small variety of food atop them. He set them on the table.  
“I’ll leave you to eat. You’ll be the first to know if the Creeds are found,” Andrews assured.  
Isaac and Taylor watched him leave, as Dekker took up Monroe’s former post at the door.


	124. 124

“I don’t like this,” Taylor rubbed his brow anxiously as he paced.  
“He has a point,” Isaac insisted, making headway with the provided lunch, “this really is the safest place for us. And if they can’t get in, it would make sense that we can’t get out either.”  
“It feels like what I’d imagine ADMAX would be though,” Taylor cast a wary look at Dekker.  
“ADMAX isn’t even this safe,” Isaac assured, “we’re good, Tay.”  
“Can we contact our families?” Taylor asked, his eyes having not left Dekker.  
“I’m not privy to that information. But they are in protective custody.”  
Taylor gave Isaac a pointed look. Isaac just shrugged, not knowing what he expected him to do.  
“This is ridiculous. We’re just supposed to stay here and wait?” he continued to pace, “at the very least we should be trying to hone in on Zac.”  
“Tay, you need to eat something,” Isaac insisted, indicating the other tray.  
“I need to stop feeling like I’m in a cage. I want my damn _life_ back!”  
“Hey, hey,” Isaac jumped to his feet when he realised Taylor was losing it a little.  
He took him by the shoulder.  
“Deep breath,” he tried to calm him down, waiting as Taylor did so, “you’re not in a cage. You’re at the Pentagon. Of all the places in the world, can you think of somewhere safer?”  
“No,” Taylor admitted, avoiding eye contact.  
“Great, so we’re on the same page,” Isaac confirmed.  
Taylor looked up to Dekker again as a call came over his radio.  
“Go for Dekker,” he responded.  
“Are you with the Hansons?”  
“Affirmative Sir.”  
“Go ahead and inform them that Connor Creed has been detained.”  
“That was quick,” Isaac said pointedly, aimed at Taylor.  
“Do we have any specifics?” Dekker asked for them.  
“Not as yet. Over and out.”  
“Will we find out what happened?” Taylor asked him.  
“I have no idea,” Dekker shook his head, “just sit tight.”  
Taylor rolled his eyes, before blanching a little at the look he was getting from Isaac and deciding to take a seat.  
He’d gotten about halfway through the lunch – Isaac had long finished his – when the door opened again and Andrews reappeared.  
“What happened?” Taylor shot to his feet, “you found Connor?”  
“Creed was picked up at the Ambassador Hotel in Tulsa. I need you boys to look at something patched in from there,” Andrews had already made his way to the screen, having fetched the remote, “tell me if you recognise this man.”  
An image soon appeared on the screen, making Taylor flinch. It took him a moment to register who it was, but when he did his eyes widened.  
“You have this man in custody?” he gave Andrews a surprised look.  
“We do,” he confirmed, “can you tell us who he is? He seems to know a lot about you.”  
Isaac just watched Taylor curiously, not having recognised the man on screen.  
“I can’t give you a name,” Taylor looked regretful, “but I can tell you that he’s the one who takes care of the sales. He’s the one who sold me to Ramirez.”


	125. 125

“Ramirez?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“Krüger told me her name after he killed her,” Taylor brushed off.  
“Are you absolutely sure?” Andrews’ eyes narrowed, seeing the potential.  
“He’s the first person I saw when this whole thing started, I’m sure,” Taylor confirmed, “why did you say he knew a lot about us?”  
Andrews hesitated, before indicating for Dekker to make sure the door was closed. As both Isaac and Taylor watched on curiously, Andrews instigated the audio to the interrogational video they were watching.  
The man appeared to be in an argument with whoever was questioning him, but didn’t seem in the least bit worried about his position. He was almost smugly confident.  
“Get Doe to repeat what he said about Zac,” Andrews said into his radio.  
Isaac and Taylor both shot him a look at the mention of Zac’s name. Presuming the message had somehow gotten through to the interrogator, they were surprised when it wasn’t at all obvious.  
“So tell me once again, what’s this deal you’ve offered with Zac’s location?”  
Taylor gulped a little, their eyes now locked to the screen.  
“It’s not a deal, per se,” the man corrected, “Seth simply wants Taylor back. For that, he’s willing to give up his younger brother’s location. Simple as that.”  
“Oh that’s a lie,” Isaac scorned straight off the bat.  
“What the heck would be the point of that?!” Taylor exclaimed, addressing Andrews, “what is the point of giving myself up for Zac’s location, if I can’t go after him?! It doesn’t make sense!”  
“The offer isn’t for you. It’s for us,” Andrews explained.  
“Are you serious?” Isaac demanded, “they expect you to hand Taylor over?”  
“Personally I don’t think they expect anything of the sort, no,” Andrews put in as Taylor covered his face with his hands then ran them through his hair, “I think he’s playing for time. I think he knows where Seth is.”  
“Of course he knows where Seth is,” Taylor said under his breath, “he keeps these assholes organised.”  
“What are your chances of getting Zac’s location out of him?” Isaac asked Andrews.  
“He claims he doesn’t know where he is himself-“  
“That’s a lie,” Taylor scoffed.  
“-but it’s not our main priority. Our priority here is Seth Creed, and by proxy Ryan Creed.”  
Taylor gave Isaac an incredulous look, and Isaac knew he was losing it again.  
“Then what are we still doing here?! Let us go find our brother!” his voice rose.  
“As explained earlier, we need you two as witnesses. We need to keep you safe.”  
“I can’t offer you anything else on this guy!” Taylor exclaimed, pointing to the screen, “the last time I saw him was over a year ago. I was hanging from a ceiling by the wrists and he walked in with the woman he eventually sold me to, started telling her things like the fact that I was a musician, and my kids’ hair and eye colour in case she wanted to _breed_ from me! Do you have any idea of how degrading that was?! And knowing that they’d _checked_?”  
Andrews stood back with a sigh, waiting for Taylor’s outburst to be over.  
“And that was a walk in the park considering what they’ve done to me in the past week alone!”  
“Tay, Tay,” Isaac put a hand on his shoulder, which Taylor threw off.  
“Are you done?” Andrews had scorn in his voice.


	126. 126

“We can’t just stay here hoping that Zac’s somehow going to find his way out, we need to actively look for him,” Taylor insisted.  
“We followed you by traffic cameras again,” Isaac told him.  
“You can, and you will stay here,” Andrews took on a more serious tone, “until we can be sure that the threat to your life has been lifted.”  
“It’s never going to be lifted,” Taylor scorned, “recapture or death is a standard procedure for these people. If they can’t have us, they’re going to kill us. And it’s not like there’s only three of them on the job. Why don’t you try tracking down some of the Waco survivors?”  
“We know about the Waco survivors,” Andrews informed him, “which is another reason we had you shipped here straight away. For your protection.”  
“So what about Zac? What about for his protection?” Taylor pointed out, “if you don’t want to do it yourselves, at least give us the resources to look for him ourselves. If we find anything you guys can go and do your thing and we won’t even get in the way.”  
Isaac’s eyes darted between the two, very aware of the tension in the room.  
“I’m not authorised to just give over that sort of Intel.”  
“Then find someone who is,” Taylor persisted.  
Andrews gave him a long, hard stare for a moment. Just when Isaac was sure he was really about to lock them up, he grunted.  
“What do you think you need?”  
“Ike?” Taylor gave way for him to take over.  
Isaac hesitated, not expecting to be thrown into the deep end so suddenly.  
“Ah… camera feeds. From the area around the house in Kyle,” he looked toward the screen, “and especially the highways. If you guys have any special way of hooking in to all of them, that would help.”  
Andrews just stared at him, waiting for him to go on.  
“Also satellite cover,” Isaac was unnerved at the lack of response, “and… real time is great, but we actually need to go back a few days, so…”  
“I’m sure we can do that,” Andrews stood straight, “is that all?”  
“It’s a start, thank you,” Isaac nodded sincerely.  
Taylor eyed his brother as Andrews cast him a look before leaving the room.  
“Happy now?” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
“No,” Taylor scorned, “I won’t be happy until we’ve found Zac and I’ve at least spoken to Natalie.”  
Isaac rolled his eyes and walked over to the screen where the footage of the salesman had been frozen. He studied him for a moment, trying to work out if he’d ever seen him before. He came up blank.  
Within about twenty minutes or so, Andrews returned with a large laptop. Without a word he set it up on the table and wired it up to the main screen.  
“You,” Andrews indicated for Isaac to join him.  
Isaac gave Taylor a glance, who just rolled his eyes, before joining the Sergeant Major. After a quick rundown of how the program worked, Isaac was soon off and running.  
“If you find anything-“  
“Dekker will know,” Taylor pointed out, leaning over the back of Isaac’s chair already.  
Andrews gave him a disgruntled look before closing the door behind himself.


	127. 127

*A Week Later*

Zac kept both eyes open as he concentrated. It was hard enough having to explain to people that he was left-handed without nerves getting the better of him as well.  
He took a few deep breaths, keeping his left eye in line with the sight and his finger poised carefully over the trigger.  
“Steady,” his partner whispered from his crouch behind him, “make sure you have him.”  
Zac paused, letting out a breath he’d been holding.  
“I have him,” he confirmed.  
He took the shot. A short roar echoed through the brush before the grizzly fell onto the bank of Lake Minchumina.  
“Nice shot,” Nigel gave him a pat on the shoulder, “that’s gotta be a six hundred pounder, easy.”  
Zac rubbed his face, feeling like his nose was about to freeze off as he stood up from the little ridge they’d been resting behind.  
“Think he’ll appreciate it?” he asked.  
“I don’t see why not,” Nigel assured, taking the rifle back and dismantling it.  
Zac waited while Nigel stooped to detach his chain from the base of a nearby tree so that they could walk over to Zac’s latest kill. As Nigel led him by the chain, Zac took up the weight of the sled they’d brought with them as a carriage.  
They’d spent the entire day so far walking around the lake, looking for anything they could take back to the cabin as a prize. Zac wasn’t entirely sure if his new master was after trophies or just something to eat.  
As they drew closer and began to inspect their catch, Zac began to hear a slight hum in the air. Looking skyward, he shielded his eyes from the cold mist that was coming down as he tried to spot the source.  
“It’s just a helicopter,” Nigel informed him when he saw what he was doing, “they come over all the time.”  
“Yeah, I heard one yesterday,” Zac affirmed, “this sounds louder.”  
“Hurry up, we need to get back,” Nigel’s voice grew sterner.  
Zac sighed and worked his way around to Nigel after wedging the sled underneath the opposite side of the bear’s body. Together, they heaved as hard as they could to try and get the bear onto it. When they’d almost succeeded, Zac had to duck as a low-flying helicopter suddenly whipped over the top of the trees and headed out across the lake.  
“Oh no,” he heard Nigel once the roar of the blades had passed.  
Zac understood his worry. The helicopter was painted with camouflage. This wasn’t a joy flight.  
“Come on,” Nigel took up the chain again.  
Zac gulped a little as he was pulled to his feet, and the two began to race back through the trees toward the cabin. When they got close however, Nigel stopped them. They could hear gunfire.  
“What the Hell?” Nigel breathed.  
“What’s going on?” Zac frowned, “is he in trouble? How would they even know he was here?”  
“Only one person knows this location,” Nigel stopped to arm the rifle again.  
Zac raised an eyebrow.  
“You’re going to take on the military with that?” he asked incredulously.  
“Of course not,” Nigel handed him the gun, “you are.”


	128. 128

Zac came to rest behind a wider tree which looked down on the clearing the cabin sat in.  
“This is insane,” he shook his head, looking back for where Nigel sat with the end of his chain, “if they get fired on, they’re just going to rain bullets. You’ll have me killed for no reason!”  
“Not no reason,” Nigel assured, “at the very least it’ll distract them.”  
“So you don’t care that you’ll be wasting Fowler’s money?” Zac was readying the rifle anyway, knowing what the alternative would be, “I thought he came after me for a reason.”  
“Fowler’s not here,” Nigel scorned.  
“Just as well, because he’d hand you your ass,” Zac muttered under his breath.  
“What did you say?”  
“You heard me,” Zac grunted, watching the scene below.   
When he heard a footstep in the snow behind him, Zac made sure he had a tight hold on the rifle.  
“Say it again,” came Nigel’s voice over his shoulder.  
“Or else what?” Zac’s eyes lowered, though he tried not to make it obvious.  
“You know, I’m just about done with your attitude-“  
Zac saw the chance and he took it. He barely needed to move the rifle before pulling the trigger, the round going straight into Nigel’s boot. The man yelled out and jumped backward, as Zac quickly glanced over his shoulder.  
They’d caught the attention of the soldiers down below. Four of them were making their way up the hill, another two fanning out either side.  
“You son of a bitch!” Nigel cursed, “I’m gonna carve you like a boar!”  
“I would love to see you try,” Zac now had the rifle aimed squarely at Nigel’s chest.  
Nigel glared up at him, before starting to twist the chain in his fist as his other hand went for his hunting knife.  
“You can try, but I don’t know… one little tug on that chain and this thing could go off,” Zac shrugged.  
“FREEZE!” came an order from behind them, “drop your weapon!”  
“I can’t!” Zac called back, eyeing a soldier that had suddenly appeared to his right.  
“Zachary Hanson?” he nodded.  
“The one and only,” Zac replied, the hairs on the back of his neck standing slightly on end.  
He wasn’t sure if their recognising him was a good or a bad thing.  
“We’ll take it from here son,” an older voice came over his shoulder.  
“I’m not moving until he lets the chain go. He’s armed,” Zac informed them.  
The soldier behind him stepped forward, soon relinquishing Nigel of the hunting knife. The soldier to the right spoke into his radio, confirming that Zac had been found.  
With a sigh of relief, Zac finally lowered the rifle.  
“Are you injured?” a second soldier appeared from behind.  
“No,” Zac assured, handing the gun over before collecting up the chain himself, “how the heck did you guys find me out here?”  
The soldier beside him jutted his chin, indicating for Zac to turn around. He’d barely moved when he was enveloped in a hug.  
“Uh, whoa,” Zac hesitated, before realising who it was, “Tay?!”  
“I told you I’d find you,” Taylor whispered into his ear as he squeezed him tight, eyes brimming with tears of relief, “I told you I’d find you.”


	129. 129

Isaac stood as soon as the door opened. His face lit up when he saw Zac walk through first.  
“Zac,” he grinned, stepping forward to give him a hug.  
“Hey Ike,” Zac grinned back, obliging.  
Taylor walked in behind Zac and turned to close the door behind him, stopping when he saw Dekker about to make his way in. Monroe had already been in the room with Isaac.  
“I’m sorry,” Isaac whispered.  
“For what?” Zac gave him a curious look as he pulled away.  
“For not getting there on time,” Isaac’s voice almost broke.  
“Not that it would have helped,” Taylor came to stand beside them, “Ike got caught himself.”  
“How much have you told him?” Isaac looked to him.  
“Next to nothing, it was a tense ride,” Taylor folded his arms.  
“You got caught?” Zac frowned, “how? By the Texan?”  
“Derek Krüger, a former European terrorist,” Taylor cut in, “too bad in time to put a name to the face, he’s dead.”  
“It’s a long story,” Isaac nodded a little, “but I was tricked into getting into the back of a squad car which turned out to not be a legitimate squad car.”  
“If you can’t tell what a squad car is by now I think we have a problem,” Zac took a seat.  
“Oh ha ha,” Isaac scorned.  
“They pretended to be cops to bring him in,” Taylor explained, “or maybe they were cops, we don’t know. They haven’t been found yet.”  
“Which when they found Connor so fast it makes you wonder why,” Isaac looked up as he took the opposite seat.  
“Who’s Connor?” Zac looked between them.  
“Seth’s brother, or one of them,” Taylor stepped around the table.  
“And… who’s Seth?”  
“The Creed brothers were Krüger’s superiors,” Isaac explained.  
“So they’re the ones running the show,” Zac put two and two together, “and one of them has been caught?”  
“Connor,” Isaac nodded, “he was hanging around Tulsa, keeping an eye on our families.”  
“He what?” Zac’s eyes darted worriedly.  
“He threatened Nat,” Taylor elaborated, “they tapped my phone in case I managed to call them. This was after your 9-1-1 call.”  
“Crap,” Zac sat back, “Tay I’m sorry.”  
Taylor waved him off as he paced again a little.  
“They caught the guy, it doesn’t matter,” he insisted, “what does matter is that Seth’s still out there. He showed up at Krüger’s a couple of days after Ike was brought in and tried to have me transferred into his custody.”  
“Why?” Zac frowned, “what’s the guy’s deal?”  
“He wanted to put me through a second training program and make me into a recruiter,” Taylor was obviously uncomfortable explaining it, “he wanted me to pick up girls for the program.”  
“Are you serious?” Zac turned in his seat.  
“And he’s still out there,” Taylor reiterated as he eyed his brother, “which means he’ll be back.”  
“Awesome,” Zac sat back again.


	130. 130

“So where were you?” Isaac asked curiously, “I mean we saw the feeds, but Alaska?”  
“I got to shoot bears,” Zac nodded, almost proud.  
The joint cell phone that had been sitting on the table suddenly rang. They’d been provided with it a few days earlier so that they could finally contact their respective families. Somehow they’d spent more time talking with Kate than either Natalie or Nikki.  
Taylor leant forward to pick it up and answer it.  
“Bears?” Isaac went on.  
“Hey Nat,” Taylor couldn’t help but smile, ducking over to the corner opposite the soldiers to talk to her, “is River behaving today?”  
“Bears,” Zac nodded, watching Taylor and idly wondering when he could talk to Kate.  
“Dare I ask why?”  
“I have no idea,” Zac shrugged, “why would the Texan want me to wash his dishes when he had a perfectly good dishwasher in the kitchen?”  
“Krüger,” Isaac supplied.  
“Right. Krüger.”  
They both looked up as Andrews entered, Zac standing to offer his hand.  
“Zac I presume?” Andrews shook it.  
“You’d presume right.”  
“Sergeant Major Andrews.”  
“He was the first to make contact with us, he’s been a big help,” Isaac explained.  
“Right,” Zac nodded, his hands going into his pockets as he stood back.  
“Your liaison, yes,” Andrews cast a glance at Taylor, “I have news, and I have bad news.”  
“Okay…” Isaac’s eyes didn’t leave him.  
“Forensics have been over Krüger’s house in Kyle,” Andrews began, “five bodies were pulled from the carnage. One identified as Krüger, one identified as Richard Astley, and three unknowns.”  
“Rick?” Zac’s eyes shot to Isaac, “Rick’s dead?!”  
“Krüger killed him when he took me in,” Isaac quickly explained.  
“Damn,” Zac cursed further under his breath, looking to the ceiling.  
“We’re working to get dental records on the three unknowns, but it’s not looking good. For all we know they could have been inductees taken from the streets,” Andrews shook his head.  
“I hope his right-hand man is one of them,” Isaac’s eyebrows rose.  
Zac smirked his agreement.  
“So what’s the other news?” he asked.  
“There was an incident at ADMAX earlier this morning. It looks like Seth went after Nathan Devereux.”  
Taylor looked up at the sound of Nate’s name.  
“The same explosives were used on the building as the ones we’d linked to the Tulsa station bombing, Tulsa International hangar, and Krüger’s house. We lost a few prison guards as well.”  
“We knew Krüger wasn’t happy with him,” Zac nodded, “I believe when I spoke to him last year he said something about a lot of people wanting him dead because of what he’d done. About time.”  
“Devereux isn’t dead,” Andrews looked confused, but intrigued.  
“Then…?” Isaac trailed off, feeling a sudden chill.  
“He’s free.”  
Taylor dropped the phone.


End file.
